Italy has moved towards legalising chemical castration for rapists and paedophiles under a proposed new law.
The parliament in Rome gave its approval on Wednesday to the creation of a committee that could draft laws on treating violent sex offenders with androgen-blocking drugs.
The treatment would be consensual and reversible with the aim of preventing reoffending, Politico has reported.
It is the latest move by Italy’s right-wing government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to crack down on law and order.
Since she came to power in 2022, Meloni has spearheaded legislation establishing new crimes and tougher penalties.
Pictured: Chemical castration being carried out in Kazakhstan (file photo)
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (pictured) has launched a campaign to crack down on law and order
The new law, however, was proposed by a far-right branch of her governing coalition who previously made chemical castration for pedophiles and rapists a key part of its platform.
Under the proposal, violent sex offenders could avoid jail in exchange for taking hormone-blocking drugs.
The plans, however, have been criticised by opposition groups for being ‘extremist’ and a ‘violation of humanity and justice’.
Enrico Borghi from the centrist Italia Viva party posted on social media: ‘What’s next? Tar and feathers, or rope and soap?’
Simona Bonafè from the center-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’.
Chemical castration has already been introduced in Kazakhstan and Poland and parts of the United States for certain crimes.
Pictured: Montecitorio Palace, the lower house of Parliament in Italy where the proposals where considered
Meloni pictured with Sir Keir Starmer in Rome on September 16
The process involves a person taking hormone-blocking drugs to prevent the production of testosterone.
However, concerns have been raised about physical and psychological side effects and its effectiveness at stopping reoffending.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
