Men accused of rape should be castrated

Castration and rape are important, controversial topics in our society and I hope this will be a useful discussion. In this second round, I will introduce the idea of population evolvement, using abortion and crime as an example. I will then discuss the benefits of the PEACE program to society as a whole and to the individuals concerned, and finally I will make some comments about the restrictions on participation. Abortion and Crime: Can we do More? In their book Freakonomics, Levitt and Dubnar present evidence linking abortion to reduction in crime (see video for summary). They argued that unwanted children are the children most likely to grow up to be criminals, and that abortions cull unwanted children and therefore future criminals. This is an uncomfortable finding for many people, but there is no question that abortion is convenient for the community in general - there are over a million abortions a year in the US (2). Of course, it would be far more efficient and desirable if those unwanted pregnancies could be avoided in the first place - or even a proportion of them. Most estimates put the annual cost to the tax pay of unintended pregnancies at over 10 billion dollars (3), for healthcare costs alone. There are additional private costs (4), emotional and physical costs, and of course pro-life advocates would say the moral cost is beyond all price. The social benefits of abortion, including a lower crime rate, are shared by all, but the burden of abortion falls disproportionately on women. Perhaps more disturbingly, it has been shown that women with unplanned pregnancies are four times more likely to have a violent partner than women whose pregnancies are planned, and that violent men are often trying to force their partners into pregnancy and a more likely to refuse to use condoms than other types of men (5). Population-Enhancing Accuse-Castrate Evolvement (PEACE)PEACE works by shifting the intervention from post-conception back to pre-conception. If the sorts of men most likely to father future criminals are castrated, this works in at least two ways to enhance the future of our communities.1. Castrated men are better fathers and community members. One of the first and most striking effects of castration is a feeling of calm. Serene parents are likely to raise calmer, better adjusted children, as well as bring emotional stability to all their social interactions. "Ten days post castration, I felt as a feather floating around everywhere," writes one happy eunuch. "I just kept feeling better and better. For me, the serenity was the strongest of the castration effects. " (6) 2. Castrating potential rapists will lead to an immediate reduction in sexual assault. Because castration is associated with a drop in testosterone, castra-enhanced individuals are able to better focus on their personal and career goals undistracted by sexual feelings or aggressiveness (7). Sex offenders who are introduced into the PEACE scheme are therefore vastly less likely to reoffend than those who are not. Castration is not a punishmentCastrated men live 14-18 years longer than untreated men (8). They are more serene and do not grow bald (9). Therefore, castration should not be seen as a punishment in any way, but rather as a life-style choice and an enhancement. Encouraging complianceWhen we say that rapists should be castrated, we are talking about an ideal state of affairs as has been described thus far. The means by which this is achieved is a separate issue. Certainly, given the vast social benefits anticipated with PEACE, it makes sense that all health-related costs be borne by the state, and that favorable treatment be given to PEACE inductees by the judicial system, given the huge reduction in recidivism following castration (7). There should also be substantial marketing and counselling services to assist men who choose this option, and perhaps the potential for further incentives as deemed appropriate. Accusation vs ConvictionIn the comments to this debate, two users suggested that castration services be only offered to men who are convicted of rape. However, such a rule would result in a dramatic reduction in the number of people qualified to access the PEACE program - as rape has a very low 4% conviction rate (10). In order to enjoy the full social benefits of PEACE, we need a more inclusive standard. In addition, linking PEACE involvement to convictions or rape may create a false stigma by connecting PEACE too closely with criminal behavior. Two accusations of rape is still, perhaps, too restrictive as most rapists are never formally accused, and may only have one accuser. Potentially, as PEACE grows and gains appreciation in the broader community, there may be calls for it to be extended to a wider participation group. The consequences of such an extension are beyond the scope of this debate, however. Thank you for your attention. I now pass the debate to my esteemed opponent. . http://www.youtube.com...(2) . https://www.guttmacher.org...(3) . https://guttmacher.org...(4) . http://www.guttmacher.org...(5) . http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org...(6) . http://sherrylanina.tripod.com... (7) . http://www.jaapl.org...(8) . http://abcnews.go.com...(9) . http://theconversation.com...