29th Sep 09
DavidHuman rights activists have responded with criticism when polish lower house approved a law on friday making the chemical castration of paedophiles mandatory. The upper chamber of parliament is still yet to approve but it is likely to go ahead. Under this law, paedophiles that are convicted of raping children under 15 years or a close relative would be forced to undergo chemical therapy when released from prison.
Piotr Kladoczny from the Helsinki Foundation of Human Rights replied with the statement "Introducing any mandatory treatment raises doubts as such a requirement is never reasonable and life can always produce cases that lawmakers could never have even dreamt of,".
The controversiality of this subject is on par with that of capital punishment, and i myself had a hard time reaching a decision on the topic. I find that i am in agreement with the prime minister in his disgust for paedophiles for the acts that they commit are unforgivable and capable of destroying young lives beyond repair.
However looking at this with a broader view i believe that chemical castration is setting a dangerous precedent and in this way is totally different from capital punishment. Capital punishment was introduced as a way of removing someone from the population when deemed they would never be fit to re-enter society. The difference is that castration is not the removal of the offender, but the alteration.
"The purpose of this action is to improve the mental health of the convict, to lower his libido and thereby to reduce the risk of another crime being committed by the same person", statement by polish government.
Now this does seem like a possible solution, though i have seen no evidence as yet to validate or disprove this method. But what i am more concerned about is the possibility of this becoming a gateway situation that will undoubtedly lead to further "correction" of the things that make us individuals. The A Clockwork Orange situation is one such possibility and this cultivates difficult moral questions that i do not believe society is yet ready to answer. Who has the wisdom decide what things about another person should be changed?
A ball is harder to stop once its started rolling.
Post a comment if you have an opinion
Steve Harkonnen
September 30th, 2009 at 03:43
"Who has the wisdom decide what things about another person should be changed?"
The law.
If Poland freely elects such measures toward trying to stop pedophiles, then yes indeed, chemical castration is a step toward the ultimate punishment, which is death.
Poland should ignore these so-called "human rights" activists. They are nothing but a pain in the ass and carry things to the extreme.
Don't get me wrong – basic human rights are a necessity (to a certain extent), but when these human rights activists start to interfere with a nation's legal processes and defend pedophiles and criminals, then they are acting out of line.
Personally? I'd cut off their balls with a butter knife with no anesthesia right after their trial if found guilty. I would videotape the first forced castration, make sure it is brutal and detailed, then post it on television with the warning: You get caught being a pedophile? This will happen to YOU.
beamish
September 30th, 2009 at 05:26
The only thing that should be injected into a convicted pedophile is a 7.62x39mm round in the skull.
DaveTheRave
September 30th, 2009 at 07:24
im not disagreeing with the passing of this law, i am for it, just contemplating what will be next….