The elected governor of Puebla proposed implementing chemical castration as a measure to combat gender violence, particularly protecting women. This proposal was first put forward when Armenta held a seat in the Senate of the Republic, although it was rejected by human rights organizations at that time. Armenta argues that harsher and more effective penalties are needed as a deterrent to eradicate fear in the citizenry.
However, the proposal for chemical castration has generated critical reactions from various sectors, questioning its feasibility and effectiveness. Lizeth Mejorada, a counselor from the National Institute of Women (Inmujeres), firmly rejects the idea of chemical castration, considering it a populist measure that does not address the fundamental problems of the justice system. For Mejorada, the real solution lies in deeply reforming the institutions responsible for justice.
In this regard, the activist insisted on the need for the Prosecutor's Office to fulfill its duty, for the Public Ministries to attend to victims, for resources to be allocated for investigations, and for judicial and prosecutorial structures to be strengthened. She criticized Armenta's proposal as a way to evade discussion about the real problems of public administration, labeling it as penal populism and a smokescreen.
Armenta presented the proposal to reform the state Penal Code of Puebla with the aim of introducing chemical castration as a sanction for sexual offenders, within the framework of his 'zero tolerance' policy towards crimes such as harassment and rape. The politician explained that chemical castration would involve administering injections with substances that inhibit the sexual desire of the aggressor, thus aiming to reduce the incidence of these crimes in the region. He emphasized that this measure does not involve physical mutilation, but rather a medical treatment to affect the libido of the offender as a form of prevention against recidivism in sexual offenses.
