Louisiana
What is the controversy behind Louisiana’s new surgical castration law?
Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Louisiana has become the first state in the United States to impose surgical castration as a criminal punishment.
The new law, which came into effect on Thursday, allows the court to order surgical castration — the removal of a man’s testes or a woman’s ovaries — as punishment for adults convicted of first or second-degree aggravated rape in cases involving child victims under 13.
Some states already impose chemical castration, a reversible procedure, as punishment. But only Louisiana mandates surgical castration.
The measure comes amidst a spate of “tough-on-crime” legislation passed this year by Louisiana’s conservative supermajority and signed into law by Republican Governor Jeff Landry, who took office in January.
Critics, however, warn that such laws are radically punitive and ultimately ineffective in preventing crimes.
Among those outspoken against the law is George Annas, the director of Boston University’s Center for Health Law, Ethics and Human Rights. He described the measure as “anti-medicine” and unconstitutional: “It just makes no sense.”
Legal challenges anticipated
Louisiana and several other states, including California and Florida, already have laws that impose chemical castration for certain sex crimes.
That procedure usually entails injections of Depo Provera, a birth control medication that temporarily lowers testosterone in both men and women.
Even that procedure has its detractors, though. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has never approved the drug for the treatment of sex offenders, and critics decry putting physicians in the position of meting out punishments for the criminal justice system.
Such laws have already been repealed in Oregon and Georgia and ruled unconstitutional in South Carolina.
But unlike chemical castration, surgical castration is permanent. Lawyers like Annas have raised questions about whether surgical castration violates the US Constitution’s prohibition against “cruel and unusual punishment”.
Annas warns the law is also unconstitutional as it denies the right to reproduce and the right to bodily integrity. Under Louisiana’s new law, an offender can refuse the procedure, but if they do, they would instead receive an additional three- to five-year prison sentence.
“If you can get out of jail by volunteering your testicles,” Annas said, “that’s coercive.”
He believes the law will not survive the inevitable court challenges from rights groups.
“It is blatantly unconstitutional,” said Annas. “There is no way any judge in this country, even in Louisiana, would find this to be a valid punishment.”
Giacomo Castrogiovanni, a lawyer who administers the reentry programme at Loyola University’s Law Clinic, described the new law as “very aggressive” and agrees it will face legal challenges.
“I expect that is going to be a really strong challenge,” said Castrogiovanni — but he is less certain than Annas that it will be successful in striking down the law. “I really don’t know what’s going to come of that. It’ll be interesting.”
Questions of efficacy
But beyond its legal merits, the surgical castration law has raised scrutiny about its efficacy in combatting sex crimes.
Annas argued that the law would simply be ineffective. “It’s very hard to find a physician who thinks this makes any medical sense,” he said.
The urge to commit sexual violence, he explained, “is not necessarily related to the amount of testosterone you have”.
Dr Katrina Sifferd, a criminal justice researcher and former legal analyst for the National Institute of Justice, likewise expressed scepticism. “Sometimes there are claims that this is going to either rehabilitate, deter or incapacitate,” she said. “And it looks like that isn’t the case.”
Sifferd explained that people who commit sex crimes against children do so for many different reasons: “trauma, aggression, a need for love — all sorts of things” that castration wouldn’t address.
And castration doesn’t necessarily dampen sexual urges or prevent erections.
“There’s no scientific evidence that this is going to ‘work’ to save anybody. And it’s certainly not going to cure the person of being a paedophile,” Annas said.
For her part, Sifferd said she understands the reluctance to protect the rights of people who have committed grave crimes against children.
But she stressed that corporal — or physical — punishment is not meant to be part of the US criminal legal system.
“The criminal justice system has to maintain its moral authority. And every punishment that’s applied has to be justified,” she said. “Otherwise, it’s a real slippery slope in what we allow the state to do.”
A punitive approach
The new law highlights longstanding concerns about the punitive nature of Louisiana’s criminal justice system.
Louisiana has been called the “prison capital of the world”. It has the highest incarceration rate of any state in a country that already tops all other democracies for the proportion of people behind bars.
Out of every 100,000 people in Louisiana, approximately 1,067 people are locked up in jails, prisons and detention centres.
Louisiana’s surgical castration law comes into effect as part of a spate of legislation that creates even more crimes to prosecute.
Among the laws taking effect on Thursday is a measure that makes it a crime to remain within 7.6 metres — or 25 feet — of a police officer after being warned to retreat.
Another law will make the possession of unprescribed abortion medication punishable by up to five years behind bars. Another eliminates parole.
The experts who spoke with Al Jazeera largely interpreted the new castration law as a Republican effort.
Castrogiovanni, the lawyer, described it as “a new implementation of conservative policies”, which tend to reflect more punitive approaches to addressing crime. He pointed out that, until recently, Louisiana had a Democratic governor who could veto some of the more controversial right-wing bills.
However, the surgical castration law passed by wide margins in both chambers of the state legislature. In the state House, it sailed through by a vote of 74 to 24, and in the Senate, it earned 29 votes, easily defeating the nine “nays”.
Democrats were among its supporters. In fact, two authored the bill.
A personal battle
One of the co-authors was state Representative Delisha Boyd, who spent the same legislative session unsuccessfully championing bills that represent more traditional Democratic priorities: protecting gay rights and reproductive access, for instance.
She even drew on her own experiences to argue that Louisiana’s abortion ban should include exceptions for rape and incest.
Her mother, Boyd testified to the Louisiana legislature, had been raped as a minor. She became pregnant with Boyd when she was only 15, and Boyd testified that the trauma of both the rape and forced pregnancy contributed to her mother’s death before age 30.
That bill, however, failed.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Boyd reflected on the irony: Louisiana doctors may now perform a medical procedure as punishment for rape, but those same doctors could be arrested for providing medical care to a rape survivor.
“I’m disgusted by that,” said Boyd. She finds it hypocritical that abortion opponents say they want to protect children but also “want to keep [the child rape victim] with a whole other human being in her body, ignoring how it’s not even her choice to have this baby”.
“I’m here because my mother experienced that,” she added.
That personal history, Boyd explained, is part of why she has become an advocate for survivors of sexual violence.
Boyd stridently defends the surgical castration law. She considers some of its critics apologists for child sex offenders.
“I am offended by anyone who has actually read this bill and still wants to defend the rapist,” she said.
And she doubts the penalty will be imposed often. She pointed out that chemical castration, already a penalty in Louisiana, has been imposed just a handful of times in the last 20 years.
But Boyd believes that, if the surgical castration law stops even one person, it will be worth it.
Sifferd, however, called that rationale “a really dangerous argument” to make. In her opinion, extreme punishments risk causing greater societal harm.
“Imagine if we applied this to other sorts of crimes, right? We apply a $10,000 fine for speeding, in case it stops even one person from speeding, and so we’re going to apply it to everybody. It’s unjustified,” Sifferd said.
Sifferd also noted that there’s consistent evidence showing that imposing harsher penalties is not an effective crime deterrent.
Focusing on survivors
Some advocates also argue that the focus on punishment diverts attention away from the survivors themselves.
The Committee for Children, a nonprofit, wrote a policy briefing explaining that “the vast majority of government funding for child abuse” goes to “convicting and managing the perpetrator” rather than preventing the abuse in the first place.
This could include programmes to support survivors or alleviate risk factors. Studies have indicated that rates of sexual violence are linked to gender and economic inequality.
And Louisiana has the second-highest poverty rate in the US, not to mention one of the country’s highest maternal mortality rates.
A recent study from Tulane University in New Orleans found that 41 percent of respondents reported experiencing sexual violence during their lifetime.
Boyd said this points to a bigger issue: “Women and children are endangered species in this state.”
Responsible Anglers United, LDWF release bass into Lake Bouef
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While Louisiana’s largest lake, the Toledo Bend Reservoir, spans 1,200 miles of shoreline, the state’s deepest lake only spans 1,125 acres.
Lake Peigneur is the deepest lake in Louisiana, with a depth measuring approximately 200 feet.
Lake Peigneur is a brackish lake, meaning it contains saltwater but has less salinity than seawater, located in New Iberia Parish in South Louisiana.
How did Lake Peigneur become the deepest lake in Louisiana?
Lake Peigneur was not always considered the deepest lake in Louisiana, as it was only a 10-foot-deep freshwater lake 40 years ago.
On Nov. 20, 1980, an oil rig crew was attempting to free a 14-inch drill bit when they heard popping noises and the rig began to tilt. Shortly after the crew abandoned the rig and headed for shore, the crew watched the 150-foot oil rig disappear into the 10-foot-deep lake.
Soon, a whirlpool formed in place of the oil rig. The whirlpool grew rapidly until it was able to suck up nearby boats, barges, trees, a house and half an island.
At the same location of the oil drilling site, there was also a salt mine, and when the whirlpool formed after the oil rig collapsed, the mine began to fill with water. As the whirlpool grew, water was able to enter the mine at such a force that it caused a geyser to spew out of the mine’s opening for hours until the lake was drained.
After the lake was emptied, the Delcambre Canal began to flow backward, marking the only time in history that the Gulf of Mexico flowed into the continental U.S. This backflow continued until the entire mine and lake were filled with water, except now the lake was filled with saltwater, according to an article published on Louisiana Tech Digital Commons.
Can you swim in Lake Peigneur?
Before the oil rig and salt mine accident, Lake Peigneur was a popular spot for fishing and recreational activities. However, since the lake is almost entirely surrounded by private property, visitors will have to enter the nearby Rip Van Winkle Gardens in order to get a closer look, according to Atlas Obscura.
While there are no reports indicating the lake is unsafe, the lake is not exactly developed for public access. However, there are things to do around Lake Peigneur, like visiting Rip Van Winkle Gardens on Jefferson Island, or visiting Avery Island to tour the Tabasco Factory.
Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com
PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. — A local fisherman raised concerns about the substance now coating Opal Beach, citing a recent oil spill off the coast of Louisiana.
WEAR News went to officials with the Gulf Islands National Seashore and Escambia County to find out the cause.
They say it’s not related to an oil spill, but is in fact algae.
The Marine Resources Division says they can understand beachgoers’ concerns, and hope to raise awareness.
“You don’t even want to get near it because it’s so gooey and sticky,” local fisherman Larry Grossman said. “It was accumulating on my beach cart wheels yesterday, and it felt like an oil product.”
Grossman messaged WEAR News on Monday after noticing something brown and oozy in the sand. He says it started showing up by Fort Pickens and stretched down to Opal Beach.
Grossman said a park service employee told him it could be oil from a recent spill in Louisiana. So he took a message to social media, sparking some reactions and raising questions.
“it certainly didn’t seem like an algae bloom because I was in the water, I caught a fish and I put some water in the cooler to keep my fish cool and it almost looked like oil in it,” Grossman said. “I know some people think it’s an algae bloom, but it certainly smelled and felt and looked like oil.”
A Gulf Islands National Seashore spokesperson confirmed to WEAR News on Tuesday that the substance is algae.
WEAR News crews were at the beach as officials with the Escambia County Marines Resources Division came out take samples.
“What I found here washed up on the beach is some algae — filamentous algae, single celled algae — that washed ashore in some onshore winds,” said Robert Turpin, Escambia County Marines Resources Division manager. “This is the spring season, so with additional sunlight, our plants, they grow in warmer waters, with plenty of sunlight.”
Turpin says this algae is not harmful.
He also addressed the concerns that this could be oil, saying he’s familiar with what oil spills look like.
He says he appreciates when people like Grossman raise the concerns.
“The last thing in the world we want is something to gain traction on social media that is faults in nature that could harm our tourism,” Turpin said. “Our tourism is very important to our economy, and we want to give the right information out to the public so we all enjoy the beaches and enjoy them safely.”
Turpin says if you see something or suspect something may be harmful on the beach, avoid it and contact Escambia County Marine Resources.
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BATON ROUGE — Gov. Jeff Landry advocated for a constitutional amendment that would create a permanent teacher pay raise as well as an eventual elimination of the state income tax in an opening address to the Louisiana Legislature on Monday.
Landry pushed for the passage of Proposed Amendment 3 on the May 2026 ballot to free up money for teacher pay raises.
He said the amendment would pay down longstanding debt within the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana and enable the state to afford a permanent increase in teacher income. The proposed increases are $2,250 for teachers and $1,125 for support staff.
“With a ‘yes’ vote, we can strengthen the retirement system, improve their take-home pay, and guess what? We can do it without raising taxes,” Landry said.
A bill proposing the elimination of the state income tax, which takes in about $4 billion annually, was pre-filed earlier in the year by Rep. Danny McCormick, R-Oil City. Where the money will come from to supplement the loss is currently unclear.
McCormick said in an interview with the LSU Manship School News Service that to encourage more young adults to stay in Louisiana, “we need to do away with the state income tax.”
“This is a conversation piece that hopefully we can figure out where to make cuts in the government so we can get the people their money back,” McCormick said.
But Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, said at a luncheon at the Baton Rouge Press Club that if the Legislature “can be disciplined” this session, residents could anticipate a 0.5% decrease in state income tax during next year’s session. He also said bigger tax cuts have to be planned over a longer budget cycle.
Within education changes, Landry commended the placing of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, approved by the Louisiana Supreme Court in a decision handed down last week.
“You have staked the flag of morality by recognizing that the Ten Commandments are not a bad way to live your life,” Landry said. “Students who don’t read them will likely read the criminal code.”
Landry’s budget proposed an $82 million increase for corrections services following 2024 tough-on-crime legislation that eliminated parole and probation, increased sentencing and encouraged harsher punishments.
Landry directed his criticism toward the New Orleans criminal justice system, which he feels is lacking accountability, especially in courtrooms.
“Judges hold enormous power, but they are not social workers with a gavel,” he said. “They are the final gatekeepers of public safety.”
The Orleans Parish criminal justice system relies on state and local funding stemming from revenues from fees imposed on those arrested, according to the Vera Institute. Landry said the state spends twice as much on the Orleans system as it does in East Baton Rouge Parish, the largest parish in the state.
“Being special does not mean being exempt from accountability,” Landry said.
Overall, Landry pushed for fewer and different ideas compared to the sweeping agenda he laid out at the start of previous legislative sessions. Henry mentioned at the Baton Rouge Press Club that the governor would like for this session to be a “member-driven session instead of an administrative session.”
Landry spoke only in general terms about his proposal for more funding for LA Gator, his program to let parents use state money to send their children to private schools.
“We must find a path so that the hard-earned money of parents follow their child to the education of their choice,” he said.
He has proposed doubling funding for the LA Gator program from $44 million a year to $88.2 million. The likelihood of this occurring is yet to be seen, as prominent lawmakers such as Sen. Henry are hesitant to approve an increase in funding.
Landry similarly did not mention carbon capture projects, despite the issue gaining traction from affected parish residents and lawmakers.
House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, told the Baton Rouge Press Club last week that 22 bills have been filed in the House that he would consider “anti-carbon capture.”
Landry also cited data centers and other giant industrial development projects and touted his administration’s success in bringing more jobs to Louisiana and in helping to lower insurance premiums over the past year.
“May we continue to employ courage over comfort, and if we do, there is really no limit to what we can do for Louisiana,” Landry said.
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