Louisiana has become the first US state to impose surgical castration on those convicted of sex crimes against children.

The new law allows judges to order the irreversible removal of testicles or ovaries for offenders guilty of crimes like rape, incest, molestation, and juvenile pornography involving victims under 13.

Democratic Senator Regina Barrow, who authored the law, hopes the severe punishment will deter potential offenders.

The procedure is to be carried out no less than a week after release from jail, and refusal to comply can result in an additional three to five-year sentence, the U.S. Sun has reported.

The law is discretionary, not automatic, and places Louisiana alongside the Czech Republic, Nigeria, and Madagascar in having such a law.

Written by B.C. Begley