Consenting Adults

Pardon the pun. This is nuts.

Three men have been arrested on charges of performing castrations on apparently willing participants in a sadomasochistic "dungeon" in a rural house, authorities said Friday.

"It's extremely bizarre," District Attorney Michael Bonfoey said in a telephone interview. "It's incredible the amount of ways that people can find to run afoul of the law."

Sheriff's investigators said Richard Sciara, 61, Danny Reeves, 49, and Michael Mendez, 60, admitted performing at least eight surgeries, including castrations and testicle replacements, on six consenting clients over the past year. None of the three is licensed to practice medicine, officials said.

These guys might find out how North Carolina's penal system works.

"This right here beats anything I have ever seen," Sheriff Tom Alexander told the Asheville Citizen-Times, which reported that victims may have come from as far away as South America.

Each man faces 10 felony counts _ five each of castration without malice and conspiracy to commit castration without malice _ as well as eight misdemeanor counts of performing medical acts without a license. Each felony carries a maximum three years and three months in prison, Bonfoey said.

"Assuming that the victims consented to this _ and we don't know that for sure yet _ that doesn't make it a defense," Bonfoey said. "We can't have people who are not medical doctors lopping off limbs and other body parts."

In all seriousness, you have to ask yourself what business the sheriff of Haywood County has inside of this dungeon. It's on private property, it was probably done with consent. I can't imagine getting castrated unwillingly and not complaining.

Surely privacy rights advocates would jump to their defense.

... and since it involves multiple men in some sort of S&M situation, wouldn't gay rights advocates step up too?

Also begs another question. Say for example abortion is against the law in South Dakota.... and it's settled law. North Carolina also passes a similar measure.

Would "back alley" abortionists also be subject to this law, with this case as precident?

Would abortion-rights advocates step in, as well? This case sounds like a coalition builder! ;)

On the web Posted by AlexC at April 1, 2006 5:07 PM