Contents:
- Medical Video: Chemical Castration
- What is castration?
- Chemical castration process
- Chemical castration law in Indonesia
- Pro counter chemical castration
- 1. Safe and effective in reducing libido
- 2. Reducing the level of recidivism (repetition of despicable deeds)
- 3. Has negative health effects
- 4. Violating human rights for criminals
Medical Video: Chemical Castration
Chemistry is one of the penalties for perpetrators of sexual violence against children in Indonesia. This is explained in Perppu No.1 of 2016 concerning Child Protection, especially in article 81 (regarding sanctions against perpetrators of rape) and article 82 (regarding sanctions against perpetrators of sexual abuse). Sexual violence against children is often related to pedophilia. Pedophilia is defined as ongoing sexual interest in children under the age of 13. The American Psychological Association states that pedophilia is a mental disorder, and sex between adults and children is always wrong.
What is castration?
Castration in men is a procedure in which a person will lose the function of his testicles, so they lose libido and sterility. Castration has two different types of procedures, namely surgery and chemical processes. In surgical castration, or testicular surgery, the effect is permanent. However, in chemical castration, drugs will be given regularly to reduce testosterone levels in the body, so that sexual drive will decrease.
Chemical castration process
Chemical castration is done by using antiandrogen drugs to reduce testosterone levels, which can suppress libido or sexual drive. This procedure is commonly used to treat advanced prostate cancer, and for some cases, it is used as a therapy for sexual crime rehabilitation. Unlike permanent surgical castration, the chemical castration effect on a person can disappear from time to time after treatment is stopped.
Chemical castration works to accelerate natural testosterone metabolism, change the effects of hormones in the body, and affect the release of the pituitary gland from precursor hormones for testosterone production. The most common drug choices used in the procedure are medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) and cyproterone acetate. These drugs can reduce testosterone levels effectively in men, reduce sex drive, and reduce their ability to be sexually stimulated.
Chemical castration law in Indonesia
In Indonesia, the Perppu is made to incriminate penalties and provide additional penalties for perpetrators of sexual crimes against children, in the form of:
- Death penalty, life sentence, or a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 20 years if the victim is more than one person, resulting in serious injury, mental illness, infectious disease, disruption or loss of reproduction, and / or death victim.
- Announcement to the public about the identity of the perpetrator.
- Provision of chemical castration accompanied by rehabilitation.
- Providing electronic detection devices (chips) to the perpetrators to find out the whereabouts of former inmates, so it is easy to do chemical castration, and find out the whereabouts of the ex-convict
Pro counter chemical castration
1. Safe and effective in reducing libido
Drugs used in the procedure can dramatically reduce the amount of testosterone produced in the testes, and suppress sexual drive without losing one's ability to have sex. Chemically neutered men can still have sex, only their desire to engage in sexual activity will no longer exist.
2. Reducing the level of recidivism (repetition of despicable deeds)
As indicated earlier, large studies conducted on chemical castration for sexual offenders have recorded dramatic decreases in recurrence rates. Based on several studies, the rate of recidivism for the second sexual offense was only around 2%, compared with no chemical treatment of 40%.
3. Has negative health effects
Although the effects of this procedure can disappear after treatment is stopped, side effects can continue to emerge over time. Among these are the loss of bone density which is directly related to osteoporosis, and loss of muscle mass accompanied by an increase in body fat that triggers heart disease. Other side effects include erectile dysfunction, infertility, hair loss, and weakness.
4. Violating human rights for criminals
Opponents of the chemical castration law believe that forcing sexual offenders to undergo treatment that can affect sexual reproduction and sex drive completely violates the constitutional rights of criminals. However, for some actors, they will voluntarily choose to be chemically castrated rather than having a time-bound sentence.
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