Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed into law on Monday a bill requiring that individuals convicted of a sex offense against a child 13 or under start chemical castration.
"This bill is a step toward protecting children in Alabama," Ivey said. The chemical castration has to begin a month before the person is scheduled for release, CNN reports, and will continue until a court decides treatment can stop.
During chemical castration, a person either takes pills or is injected with medication that reduces, inhibits, or blocks the production of testosterone. There is no guarantee that it will completely diminish a person's sexual urges, and does not result in sterilization. Once a person stops taking the drugs, the effects can be reversed.
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Under the law, individuals must pay for their treatment. If they decide to stop taking the medication, they will be considered in violation of their parole and arrested.
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