European Castration

As reported in the New York Times, Europeans are debating the practice of castration for sex offenders. It's the fault of the Czech Republic, apparently:

Whether castration can help rehabilitate violent sex offenders has come under new scrutiny after the Council of Europe’s anti-torture committee last month called surgical castration “invasive, irreversible and mutilating” and demanded that the Czech Republic stop offering the procedure to violent sex offenders. Other critics said that castration threatened to lead society down a dangerous road toward eugenics.

The Czech Republic has allowed at least 94 prisoners over the past decade to be surgically castrated. It is the only country in Europe that uses the procedure for sex offenders.  

Comments

[Peter Gardner]

"...the Council of Europe’s anti-torture committee last month called surgical castration 'invasive, irreversible and mutilating'..."

Isn't that the point?

[Bob]

Rehabilitate? There's your problem. The reason for castrating shouldn't be rehabilitation but prevention of recidivism. Of course punishment is what *ought* to be the reason, but for all that we should just off those people and be done with them. Talk about your deterrence.

[Christopher Hathaway]

If thy eye offends thee...

[Joseph]

I thought that the post would be about Leftism in general, which has effectively emasculated European civilization. That's the true European castration.

[V-Dawg]

I've wondered for some time whether castration wouldn't be a perfect example of the punishment fitting the crime for sex offenders. And I didn't have rehabilitation in mind.
If Europe is concerned about eugenics, I think they should look at fertility treatments, which are beginning to practice eugenics right now, not punishment of men who have no interest in fathering children anyway, only dominating.

[Joe Long]

I think I see where this is going.

A. Castration as a penalty for rape.
B. "All sex is rape".
C......

[Bill Daugherty]

Interesting: Europeans seem to have no problem with voluntary suicide, even involuntary "suicide", but find voluntary castration “invasive, irreversible and mutilating”. Oh, the unsearchable riches of dialectical materialism.

[NTBH]

As to the comment concerning offing them... I've always vacillated somewhat on the question of the death penalty. Part of the reason is that I do not want an innocent man put to death, but a larger reason is that the way that it is done in America is useful as a deterrent, it would have to be much more common in order to become a deterrent.

The Orthodox Church does not have one specific stance on it, but the general idea is that, if you do not execute the person, then you give them more time to repent.

The push that occurred for rehabilitation in the 20th century (and still is popular in some circles) was misguided in that it does not recognize the fact that the primary role for the government is to protect the populace. One of the serial killers who was executed in 80's was asked in an interview how he felt about being executed and he replied that the government has the right to protect itself from people like him.

[Joe Long]

"But if you do evil, then fear, for he bears not the sword in vain. He is an avenger, to execute wrath on him who practices evil." (Romans 13, paraphrase from memory).

A sword is a remarkably unamiguous object. Short of Saudi-style shoplifter-hand-chopping or the unpleasant possibility referenced above, it's hard to see how the sword-bearing ascribed to legitimate government in Romans could mean anything BUT the death penalty.

No deterence specifically referenced there, either. Just the conduit of natural consequences.