Posted on 06/06/2002 7:21:04 PM PDT by vannrox
OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating Wednesday vetoed a bill that would have made the state the first in the nation to sentence certain rapists to surgical castration.
Keating, a Republican, said the legislation would violate the U.S. Constitution's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
"This bill provides an unnecessary and arguably unconstitutional punishment of surgical castration for second offenses of the type covered by the bill," Keating said in a brief statement to the legislators. "A more effective way of dealing with these offenders is to make certain they remain incarcerated."
Last month, the state's Legislature sent Keating the measure that would have allowed judges to sentence certain rapists to surgical castration or to "chemical castration" in which they are forced to take medication that greatly suppresses their sex drive.
The measure would have called for chemical castration of sex offenders for rapes proven by DNA evidence. Under the bill, offenders who commit sex crimes a second time could be sentenced by a judge to the surgical removal of the testicles by a physician.
In his response to the Legislature about the veto, Keating noted that he had signed a bill that allowed for repeat sex offenders to be given life in prison without parole.
"With this legislation Oklahoma is making a very strong statement that those who rape and prey and commit repeated sexual offenses will spend the rest of their lives in prison," Keating said, adding that was a more sensible measure than the castration legislation.
Should be castration by WeedEater!
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