ITALY’S LOWER HOUSE BACKED CHEMICAL CASTRATION MOTION
Italy’s lower house voted for a League motion to study chemical castration for convicted sex offenders, and the idea is still stuck in limbo.
On September 18, 2024, the Chamber of Deputies approved the motion, which came from the far-right League, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s governing coalition. Lettera43 identified League deputy Igor Iezzi as its signatory. The vote came while lawmakers were considering the security bill.
The motion did not create a law. It committed the government to setting up a committee or technical table to examine androgen-blocking treatment for people convicted of sexual violence, and it said the treatment should be consensual and reversible. The stated aim was to reduce the risk of reoffending, POLITICO Europe reported.
League leader Matteo Salvini celebrated on X.
“Victory for the League! … Good. Another important step forward for our historic battle for justice and common sense: zero tolerance for rapists and pedophiles.”
The League’s proposal described convicted sex offenders potentially receiving a suspended sentence in exchange for hormone-blocking treatment.
What the treatment is, and the backlash
POLITICO described chemical castration as the use of drugs that inhibit the hormones that stimulate the testicles to produce testosterone, lowering libido. It reported that mandatory versions were permitted in Russia, Poland and some U.S. states for certain crimes.
The outlet also reported that the treatment’s effectiveness in preventing reoffending was disputed, and that experts cited possible physical and psychological side effects. Feminist groups argued that cultural factors, not uncontrollable urges, drive violent sexual crimes such as rape.
Opposition groups called the proposals “extremist” and “in violation of humanity and justice.”
Simona Bonafè, a Democratic Party MP, called the idea “unconstitutional,” saying it was “undermining the foundation of our legal system that has overcome the use of corporal punishment for centuries.”
Italia Viva’s Enrico Borghi mocked it on social media: “What’s next? Tar and feathers, or rope and soap?” The Green and Left Alliance blasted “the League’s endless vocation for repression.”
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio had opposed similar proposals in 2019, before joining the government, calling them “a return to medieval times.”
The vote fit a wider push by Meloni’s government, which POLITICO said had introduced legislation creating dozens of new crimes and increasing penalties. Meloni had named security a priority for the coming months. POLITICO tied that posture to the redevelopment of Caivano, a disadvantaged town near Naples that became a symbol of criminality and deprivation after the gang rape of two preteen cousins.
What happened next
On September 22, 2026, alanews reported that the League was urging the proposal forward again after a case of sexual abuse of a 12-year-old in Turin. The party claimed the requested technical table remained stalled at the Justice Ministry.
Il Foglio reported on October 10, 2026, that Salvini had been pressing for a technical discussion for about 15 days and that it had been repeatedly postponed. Forza Italia said talks were imminent but declined to state its position before then.
The meeting was expected to go ahead, Il Foglio reported, but the government wanted the term “androgen blockade” used instead of “chemical castration.”
