To learn more about the shots, read this page - taken from a article on Pedophilia in Haaretz Magazine - Israel, March 2004.

Save the children
By Aviva Lori - Haaretz Magazine
Thursday, March 04, 2004 Adar 11, 5764

For the full article, see:
Part 1 - http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/401219.html
Part 2 - http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/...l?itemNo=401210



Treatment

In recent years, an innovative treatment for pedophiles, using
Decapeptyl, has been introduced into Israel's health care system.
This is an injection containing a substance called Triptorelin,
which lowers the level of testosterone to zero, and is widely
used in the treatment of prostate cancer, for IVF, and in certain
birth control pills. Birger: "The injection suppresses the sexual
urge, and it has relatively fewer side effects than other drugs.
We recently received approval from the Prison Service to treat
five men. Even that is done willingly and with consent."

Two people are responsible for developing the new treatment:
Prof. Ariel Ressler, an endocrinologist from Hadassah University
Medical Center in Jerusalem, and Prof. Eliezer Witztum, a psychiatrist
on the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ben-Gurion University of
the Negev.

"It began over 10 years ago," says Ressler. "My friend Eli Witztum
told me that he had many patients who were pedophiles, and that
the drugs that were in use were not effective and had severe
side effects. He asked me if I had any ideas. I deal with hormones
and glands, and I did some thinking and had the idea of using
this substance, Decapeptyl. The brain produces GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing
hormone) that activates the pituitary gland, which monitors a
series of glands in the body. These include the woman's ovaries,
which produce the ova, and the man's testicles, which produce
the sperm. It is known that if there is a constant secretion
of this substance, let's say artificially, an opposite effect
is achieved. Within a few hours, the hormonal system is temporarily
paralyzed. That's how they had the idea of producing GnRH synthetically.
When I stop him the drug, everything returns to normal."

Is that chemical castration?

"It's a mistake to call it chemical castration. We say that it
suppresses the reproductive system, and stops thoughts about
sex and sexual performance."

In 1993, Ressler and Witztum turned to the Swedish and Danish
drug company Ferring through the Israeli importer Lapidot, and
the company gave permission and funding to carry out a clinical
trial on 30 people. At the same time, they received permission
from the Helsinki Committee. In 1998, an article was published
in the New England Journal of Medicine about the new use of the
injection, and since then, says Ressler, there has been a worldwide
revolution. Today, many countries have followed in the footsteps
of the Israeli researchers, and have introduced this new use
for the drug. A year and a half ago, the treatment received approval
from Israel's Ministry of Health. Decapeptyl has been on the
Israeli market since 1978, and is included in the health basket
for all uses, except for pedophiles. They may buy it in private
pharmacies for NIS 800 per month. The drug costs the Ministry
of Health NIS 260.

Why isn't Decapeptyl included in the health basket? The ministry
spokesman said: "The committee for expanding the health basket
decided, based on its present budget and order of priorities,
not to include Decapeptyl for the purpose of suppressing the
sexual urge in the health basket."

The National Council for the Child made a calculation, using
the statistics provided by the deputy director general of the
ministry, Dr. Yitzhak Berlowitz, that the annual cost of Decapeptyl
per patient is NIS 3,120, whereas psychiatric treatment will
cost NIS 12,876 annually. The cost of maintaining a prisoner,
according to the Prison Service, is NIS 98,550 annually. This
is the sixth failure.

The injection is administered once a month. To date, Ressler
and Witztum have treated about 65 pedophiles, and they report
success.

What are the side effects of the injection?

Ressler: "Over time they become impotent. There are hot flashes,
like those of menopausal women, a tendency to gain weight, a
loss of calcium from the bones. Such people sometimes need treatment
all their lives. The classic pedophile needs treatment for many
years. We administer a combined drug treatment that reduces the
sexual urge itself, and we suggest that they receive psychiatric
treatment."

For whom is the injection unsuitable?

Witztum: It should be pointed out that the treatment by injection
must be accompanied by psychological therapy. I'm talking about
three groups of pedophiles: Simple pedophiles, pedophiles with
another psychiatric illness, and pedophiles with severe personality
disorders. The first and second groups are suited to receiving
injections. The third group is not, because I need the cooperation
of the patients, and one can't depend on that. If there is a
law, it will be possible to treat more pedophiles."

In addition to the injection, there are pills on the market,
Provera and Androcor, that are in the health basket. But they
have severe side effects, including psychological disorders,
weakness, dizziness, problems with liver function and an increase
in tissue cancers. One of the pills causes the growth of breasts
in 20 percent of men.