Abstract
Antiandrogen treatment of sexual offenders raises serious legal and ethical considerations in both the medical profession and in the courts. Discussion is offered on the use of antiandrogens in both an involuntary and voluntary context. The potential negative impact of this treatment modality on such constitutional issues as privacy interests, right to procreative freedom, freedom of speech and communication, and freedom from cruel and unusual punishment is explored and notable, germane court cases are presented. The need for clear ethical guidelines for the administration of this treatment is stressed.
Footnotes
-
Mr. John T. Melella was chief, Forensic Psychiatry Clinic, Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center. Dr. Sheldon Travin is associate director, Department of Psychiatry, Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center; and associate professor of psychiatry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Ken Cullen is coordinator, Sex Offender Treatment, Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, Bronx, New York.
- Copyright © 1989, The American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
