A bill has passed in the Louisiana House that will permit judges to mandate surgical castration for individuals convicted of sexual offenses against children under the age of 13.

The bill passed with a 74 to 24 vote and is now pending approval from the governor. According to the Louisiana Illuminator, the procedure would occur no sooner than one week after the offender’s release from prison. Failure to comply with the mandate could result in an additional prison sentence of three to five years.

State Representative Delisha Boyd, who sponsored the bill in the House, cited a recent case involving a 12-year-old girl allegedly raped by a 51-year-old Baton Rouge man. The suspect had a prior arrest for aggravated rape of a 5-year-old in 2007 and is currently facing multiple charges, including two counts of first-degree rape and one count of indecent behavior with a juvenile.

“I know the surgical castration seems excessive, I view the same for the 5-year-old, for the 10-year-old, for the 12-year-old,” Ms. Boyd tells CBS affiliate WWL.

The House made several amendments to the bill, including raising the minimum age for offenders subject to the procedure from 13 to 17 years old. The bill also now includes a provision that prohibits sex offenders from living near schools if their victim was 14 years old or younger, an increase from the previous age limit of 13.

The Department of Corrections and Public Safety estimates the cost of surgical castration to be between $550 and $680 per offender, although no total cost estimate was provided.

Despite its advancement, the bill has faced opposition. State Representative Edmond Jordan expressed concerns about its potential disproportionate impact on Black men, drawing historical parallels to lynchings and castrations during the Jim Crow era. Mr. Jordan warned that the bill, although race-neutral in language, could lead to racial disparities in its application.