‘MARKED FOR LIFE’

Alabama Approves Chemical Castration for Sex Abusers of Children

Human-rights groups protest law that mandates the punishment for those convicted of sex crimes against kids under age 13.

Sex offenders who have attacked children in Alabama will have to undergo chemical castration as a condition of their parole after Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill into law Monday night that approved the new measure. Under the law, offenders convicted of sex crimes with children younger than 13 will have to be chemically castrated before their release. The treatment must begin at least a month before the release dates and continue until a judge decides that it’s no longer necessary. The bill was introduced by Rep. Steve Hurst, a Republican, who said: “If they’re going to mark these children for life, they need to be marked for life... My preference would be if someone does a small infant child like that, they need to die.” The move has been strongly opposed by human-rights groups. “They really misunderstand what sexual assault is about,” said Randall Marshall, executive director of the Alabama American Civil Liberties Union chapter. “Sexual assault isn’t about sexual gratification. It’s about power. It’s about control.”