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Tennessee Lawmaker Wants to Require Chemical Castration for Child Molesters

Tennessee state Rep. Bruce Griffey has introduced a bill that would force convicts to choose between castration and parole.

A state lawmaker in Tennessee introduced a bill this week that would force convicted child molesters to choose between parole and chemical castration. Republican Bruce Griffey’s bill would require anyone convicted of a sexual offense against a child under 13 to take medication that would block the production of testosterone and other biochemicals. If the person wanted to stop taking the medication, they would forfeit their right to parole. The Nashville Tennessean reports that Griffey has authored 13 bills—including one banning refugees from the state and another that would force children to use the restroom for the gender they were assigned at birth—that have not passed.