Italy is set to legalize chemical castration for rapists and paedophiles under a proposed new law.Â
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The parliament in Rome gave its approval on Wednesday, September 18, to the creation of a committee that could draft laws on treating violent sex offenders with androgen-blocking drugs.
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The treatment would be consensual and reversible to prevent reoffending, Politico has reported.
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It is the latest move by Italy’s Right-wing government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to crack down on law and order.Â
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The new law was proposed by a far-Right branch of her governing coalition which previously made chemical castration for paedophiles and rapists a key part of its platform.Â
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Under the proposal, violent sex offenders could avoid jail in exchange for taking hormone-blocking drugs.
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The plans, however, have been criticised by opposition groups for being ‘extremist’ and a ‘violation of humanity and justice’.Â
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Enrico Borghi from the centrist Italia Viva party posted on social media:Â ‘What’s next? Tar and feathers, or rope and soap?’
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Simona Bonafè from the centre-Left Democratic Party added that the plans were ‘unconstitutional’ and undermined ‘the foundation of our legal system that has overcome the use of corporal punishment for centuries’.Â
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Chemical castration has already been introduced in Kazakhstan, Poland and parts of the United States for certain crimes.Â
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The process involves a person taking hormone-blocking drugs to prevent the production of testosterone.
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