• About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
      Professor Phillip Levine Discusses “A Problem of Fit”
    • CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
      CS Department shifts CS 111 course structure
    • WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
      WAMI and WRJ host discussion on criminalization of abortion
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification
      Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification
    • It’s time to put traditional grading to the test
      It’s time to put traditional grading to the test
    • What can the fall of Z-library teach us about textbook accessibility?
      What can the fall of Z-library teach us about textbook accessibility?
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • No image
      Pentimento’s Open Mic is Like an Old Patchwork Quilt–Worn, Yet Cozy
    • No image
      Kanye’s Antisemitism Steps on his Shoe Brand
    • Lousy Realities: Luca Guadagnino (2015)
      Lousy Realities: Luca Guadagnino (2015)
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
    • Books Before Boys
  • Sports and Wellness
    • Student-Athlete of October
      Student-Athlete of October
    • Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
      Athletics Update Oct. 19, 2022
    • The Case for Body Neutrality
      The Case for Body Neutrality
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Top 10 Girlbosses who aren’t alumnae, but I would totally believe you if you told me they were
      Top 10 Girlbosses who aren’t alumnae, but I would totally believe you if you told me they were
    • Wendy Wellesley’s Thanksgiving Menu
      Wendy Wellesley’s Thanksgiving Menu
    • The Snooze Awards for the Best Tanners of 2022
      The Snooze Awards for the Best Tanners of 2022
  • Miscellanea
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
      Administrators shocked to learn that students dislike being left in dark
    • 50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
      50 Lies You Tell Yourself in Order to Survive Until Graduation
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Maya Nandakumar OpinionsMarch 9, 2016

Cast a vote against castration

Photo courtesy of Mike Cason

You would be hard-pressed to find a group more universally despised than pedophilic sex offenders, who, by all accounts, embody the most despicable features of the human psyche. When prosecuted, those convicted face dire consequences: years in jail and forced registration on an official sex offender list. However, one of the more popularly suggested addendums to this list is required surgical castration, a controversial measure that has drawn both spite and praise through the years. Although many cite this provision as insurance that molesters will never be able to misbehave again, physical penetration is not the only trauma caused by offenders. In addition, people may be wrongfully accused and irreversibly punished for actions that are not theirs. Still others have referred to the notion as barbaric revenge.

Required castration is a rare inclusion in any sexual assault bill, but recent legislation put forth by an Alabama lawmaker does precisely that. Since 2011, Representative Steve Hurst of the AL state legislature has written numerous bills that require forced sterilization for pedophiles convicted of sex crimes against children younger than 12. Voters are divided throughout the state, with some advocating that castration would yield a permanent fix for an ongoing problem, while others assert that the inhumane nature of the penalty renders it unconstitutional.

Castration for sex criminals is hardly a new concept: eight states in the U.S. currently provide for an option for surgical emasculation, including California, Texas, Oregon, and others. Legislation introduced in India after the 2012 gang-rape of a young woman incorporates a clause demanding chemical castration for offenders. Furthermore, despite some controversy in 2014, Germany still allows molesters to elect to undergo chemical castration as a form of discipline for past crimes. The case for physical reparations has been an ongoing debate for years.

Certainly, castration is a profound and lasting penance to enact on someone, though no less irreversible than the physical trauma endured by a victim of molestation. At the same time, is it fair for the legislature to impose such brutality upon an offender?

I lean towards the side that deems surgical castration a cruel and unusual form of punishment. The effects are irreversible, savage and unfamiliar. This is not to say that pedophilic sex offenders should be left unpunished, as they absolutely should not be. However, surgical castration is an irrevocable deed, one which effectively removes most possibilities of a comfortable future.

Rather than providing the means for neutering, we ought to create stipulations for mental health treatments and reintegration programs. A Sept. 2015 episode of the podcast “Love + Radio” highlighted the difficulties faced by a number of sex offenders, many of whom suffered from severe mental disorders and were often confronted by significant barriers to social readjustment. Statewide agendas that facilitate reform and re-entry to society would help not only the criminals, but also the greater community. Instead of enacting unnecessary, harsh punishments upon wrongdoers, we should open our hearts to understanding and supporting new systems for improvement.

What the penalties of pedophilic sex offense truly require is reform. The weights of consensual sex with a minor, accidental pornography viewing and statutory rape are all equal despite being distinctive crimes. Commission of any one of these crimes will put you on a registered sex offender list for life, which may have devastating effects on careers and incomes.

Perhaps the discussion about electing to undergo castration should be left open since some offenders firmly believe the only solution for reform is to forcibly decrease their urges. Nevertheless, coercive surgical castration is brutal and irrevocable. We should dedicate our time and focus to efforts that help the greater good.

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleGender lens limits media perspective on Wellesley
Next articlePolitical correctness upholds human dignity and constitutional rights

You may also like

Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification

It’s time to put traditional grading to the test

Banner reading this website has been seized over images of a book shelf

What can the fall of Z-library teach us about textbook accessibility?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
    • Staff Writers
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top