Question: Is the chemical and/or surgical castration of sex offenders ethically justifiable?
Please find below the top responses by Carleton College students.
Thoughts by EW (2022)
Surgical castration is morally acceptable as an option for sex offenders: it has incredible effectiveness in preventing their recidivism, thus better protecting the rights of potential future victims…
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Thoughts by CD (2022)
Castration as a treatment of sexual paraphilias should be available as an option to sex offenders if they are able to give informed consent, due to its efficacy in stopping reoffences…
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Thoughts by RB (2021)
Opponents to chemical and physical castration describe the aversive side effects and lack of true consent, while proponents cite the significant reduction in recidivism. Given that the breaches in consent…
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Thoughts by JS (2021)
Main themes within the debate about the ethical use of chemical and surgical castration include the extent to which these treatments are cruel, whether they are effective at reducing the recidivism…
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Thoughts by KG (2018)
If an offender is presented with a choice between two evils, so be it. It remains a choice. And it is belittling to imply that a sex offender given these options has been “coerced.”…
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Thoughts by LR (2018)
Castration is a morally acceptable form of treatment for sex offenders because it is effective and can bring about positive change for society and offenders by decreasing the sexual urges of offenders…
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Thoughts by OS (2016)
As long as both the patient and clinician meet certain requirements throughout the process of castration, this operation is an ethical option for paraphilic patients…
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Thoughts by LS (2016)
While I support both chemical and surgical castration as options, I think that surgery should only be performed when the person is already undergoing treatment, and the length of detention in jail is clearly not at stake…
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