THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 21, 1996 TAG: 9609210001
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A15 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: Kerry Dougherty
LENGTH: 78 lines
I've been thinking this week about two things which, at first glance, have nothing to do with each other: Gov. Pete Wilson of California and Mocha, the best dog I ever had.
First, Mocha. Almost everyone who loves dogs has had a really memorable one. My all-time favorite was Mocha - a chocolate lab with sparkling yellow eyes and a tail that never stopped wagging.
Oh, he had his bad qualities. When he was a pup he chewed everything in sight and picked fights with other dogs. When he got a bit older he developed a taste for duck after discovering a duck pond in the neighborhood. But he was a good dog, a beer-drinking dog I might add, and my constant companion for almost 13 years.
Mocha came from the Alexandria, Va., SPCA. When I adopted him in 1975 I signed an agreement to have him sterilized.
When he was about two years old, I reluctantly had him castrated after receiving several stern reminders of my contractual obligations.
There is no denying that Mocha was a changed dog after that: Better than ever, if the truth be known. He was less inclined to chew up my shoes or pounce on female poodles.
Admittedly, he put on a few pounds and lost some of that spring in his step. But Mocha definitely perferred Alpo in a bowl to canard on the wing after he was castrated.
Which brings me to Gov. Wilson and a new California law he signed this week mandating chemical castration for repeat child molesters. Chemical castration involves weekly injections of Depo Provera, a progesterone compound which squelches sexual desire in men.
California is the first state to mandate that child molesters who have repeatedly attacked children under 13 undergo chemical castration when they are paroled. Unless they prefer a more permanent solution: surgical castration.
I hope the parolees choose the latter.
Here's why castration might work. Testosterone is produced in the testicles. By suppressing the production of the male hormone - by chemicals or surgery - men can no longer perform sexually. As an added bonus, they may lose some of their aggressive tendancies. The downside to castration is that the men tend to gain weight and their blood pressure may rise.
I have serious reservations about chemical castration. Not because I care if these weirdos gain weight or have heart attacks. But because I worry about how the authorities will ensure that the 300 or so molesters paroled each year in California will continue their treatments. I don't know about you, but I don't trust guys aroused by the sight of naked toddlers to dutifully go in for their shots every week.
Virginia is not considering a chemical castration bill, but it's worth watching California's experiment.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that chemical castration is effective in men who have sought help with their child-molesting problem. But the report cautioned that there have been no American studies of men who are being forced to take the medication.
The Associated Press reports that in studies in European countries where the procedure is used, the repeat-offender rate for child molesters dropped from almost 100 percent to just 2 percent.
Heck, it's worth a try. Child molesters are some of the most stubborn recidivists in our prisons.
Predictably, the American Civil Liberties Union is in a lather. It claims chemical castration is barbaric. It says child molesters don't so much have sexual problems as acute needs for power. The ACLU would have us believe these guys aren't having sex with children, merely overpowering them.
It may very well be a power thing. But child molesters are propelled by their hormones to prey on helpless children. Reducing the hormones may help reduce their aggressiveness.
The best alternative is probably to keep these guys in prison for life.
But if they must be paroled, society needs some kind of assurance that everything is being done to protect children.
Castration seems the best bet.
As a mother, I have a hard time worrying about the effects this treatment will have on molesters. The only castrated men I know much about were the castratis of 18th century Italy who were a docile bunch and darn good singers. And then there was my dog, Mocha.
But I hate to sully Mocha's memory by comparing him to child molesters.
by CNB