Italy took a major step toward legalizing chemical castration as a punishment for sex crimes this week. The government, led by right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, moved on Wednesday to create a committee that could draft legislation on offering sex offenders androgen-blocking drugs to lower libido.
Chemical castration involves drugs that release hormones to stimulate the testicles to produce testosterone and decrease libido. The controversial treatment is legal in some nations including Russia and Poland, as well as some states in the U.
A motion passed by the lower house of parliament in Rome stated that the treatment must be consensual and reversible. Meloni declared earlier this month that security was her "priority" for the next few months after a high-profile gang rape case involving two preteen victims on the outskirts of Naples.
League, a far-right party in her conservative coalition, has made chemical castration for pedophiles and rapists a key issue of its platform. Their proposal involves offering convicted sex offenders a suspended sentence in exchange for undergoing the hormone-blocking treatment.
Sex slave chained to killer's wall in crucifix position and raped for 14 years Male gynecologist 'raped 87 patients and recorded exams for more than 20 years' Dexter-loving killer murdered and dismembered sex worker given life in jail. League chief Matteo Salvini said the latest development is a "victory" for the party and an "important step forward for our historic battle for justice and common sense: zero tolerance for rapists and pedophiles. Tar and feathers, or rope and soap? Chemical castration is said to reduce sexual libido and is not a form of sterilization Image: Getty.
