Castration Bill Goes to Senate, by Mark Ballard, The Advocate, April 9, 2008

Castration Bill Goes to Senate

By Mark Ballard
The Advocate
April 9, 2008

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/politics/17412114.html

Sex offenders can opt to be physically castrated under legislation forwarded by a Senate panel Tuesday.

Sen. Nick Gautreaux, D-Meaux, said he is pushing Senate Bill 144 partly because he is close friends with several victims of the Rev. Gilbert Gauthe, a priest who pleaded guilty in 1985 for molesting altar boys in Vermilion Parish. Gauthe was accused of sex crimes with youths at several churches around the country.

State Sen. Nick Gautreaux, D-Meaux, on Tuesday pushed legislation in Senate Committee Judiciary C that would allow castration of convicted sex offenders.
Photo by Mark Saltz

Gauthe served 10 years in prison. Civil cases resulted in settlements and judgments exceeding $20 million.

"That man was a monster," Gautreaux said. "He's just who I was thinking of."

Under SB144, a court can order what's called a chemical castration, even on the first offense, for men convicted of any number of sexually related crimes.

The crimes, to which this sentence would be added, include aggravated rape, sexual battery, selling pornography that shows minors under 17 years old, incest, simple kidnapping of children under the age of 14, and child abuse.

The proposal allows courts to order offenders to receive periodic injections of medroxyprogesterone acetate, known as MPA, which reduces testosterone levels, hence suppressing sex drive.

A medical expert would have to agree that the treatment would be effective. Refusal to comply with the court order to be treated with MPA could add three to five years to the offenders' sentence.

But the bill also allows the offender to choose physical castration — the surgical removal of sexual organs — provided the offender signs an affidavit and a judge agrees.

Gautreaux said some offenders may want castration to avoid the drug's side effects. Physical castration also could relieve the urges that force offenders to commit illegal acts, he said.

"The incentive part is going is that maybe it will relieve the urges to keep away from children," Gautreaux said.

Gautreaux said castration would not relieve any of the offender's sentence.

The Senate Judiciary C Committee approved the legislation without objection. It now goes to the full Senate for debate.

Contact: mballard@theadvocate.com