Lawmakers in Alabama have passed a bill that would punish child molesters by using chemical castration.
The bill, known as HB 379, initially introduced by Republican State Rep. Steve Hurst, goes to Governor Kay Ivey to sign.
The bill is designed to be used against sex offenders over the age of 21, and for sex crimes committed against children under the age of 13.
"I had people call me in the past when I introduced it and said don't you think this is inhumane? I asked them what's more inhumane than when you take a little infant child, and you sexually molest that infant child when the child cannot defend themselves or get away, and they have to go through all the things they have to go through. If you want to talk about inhumane--that's inhumane," Hurst said in an interview with CBS42 WIAT.
Hurst added that he hoped the bill would be a deterrence against these kinds of crimes.
"If we do something of this nature it would deter something like this happening again in Alabama and maybe reduce the numbers," said Hurst.
Chemical castration is different than physical castration.
Physical castration would be a surgical procedure that removes a man's gonads.
Chemical castration is done via ongoing injections of drugs that reduce libido and block testosterone and is reversible for both women and men.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is defiant about the castration as a form of penalty -- including both chemical and surgical castration; saying they both violate a person's right to privacy and are forms of cruel and unusual punishment.
