Chemical castration may be offered to Thailand sex offenders in exchange for less prison time

Within the new Thai bill, chemical castration will be offered to repeat sexual offenders in an effort to reduce testosterone levels and overall sex drive.

In a controversial decision, sexual offenders in Thailand may soon be able to opt for chemical castration in exchange for reduced prison sentences.

Within the new bill (which was approved by the Thai Senate on Monday), chemical castration will be offered to repeat sexual offenders in an effort to reduce testosterone levels and overall sex drive.

The hope is that this process will prevent individuals who have committed sexual crimes from reoffending.

A convicted person would have to give consent and be evaluated by a psychiatric specialist and an internal medicine specialist in order to be chemically castrated.

According to Reuters, the bill is currently waiting to be reaffirmed in the Thai legislature’s lower house, then it will require royal endorsement. Afterward, it will officially become law once published in the Royal Gazette, the country’s public journal.

It is unclear when exactly the bill is expected to be made law, but officials are looking for a speedy implementation.

“I want this law to pass quickly,” Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said. “I don’t want to see news about bad things happening to women again.”

According to a 2013 study by Thailand’s Public Health Ministry, one person was raped every 15 minutes in the country. There were 31,866 reported rape cases in 2013 alone.