Noboa proposes that rapists be chemically castrated; Correista Assemblywoman resigns over ‘one-eyed shit’ comment; Assemblyman faces doodling charge

President Daniel Noboa has asked the National Assembly for a constitutional change that would allow rapists to be chemically castrated. “Citizens need to know that the government is truly protecting them from sexual abusers,” he wrote on his X account.

Noboa sent documents to the Assembly leadership describing the chemical procedure for reducing testosterone levels for sex offenders. The method is used in about 30 countries, including, France, South Korea and Russia.

President Daniel Noboa is asking the National Assembly to authorize chemical castration for rapists.

The president’s request follows revelations earlier in the week that Guayaquil National Assemblyman Santiago Díaz is under investigation for raping a 12-year-old girl. Díaz was expelled from the Citizens Revolution movement and his request for leave without pay was denied by the Legislative Administration Council (CAL) of the Assembly.

Correista resigns over ‘one-eyed shit’ comment
The Citizens Revolution delegation lost another National Assembly member Thursday when Jhajaira Urresta resigned after being referred to as a “one-eyed shit” by party president Luisa González.

Urresta is the fifth RC assembly member to leave the party since the February election.

The comment by González was made during a phone conversation with other party members and was recorded on video and in a text transcript. In the conversation, González was criticizing Urresta for questioning party rules.

Urresta said she resigned after González refused to apologize. “I received an even more painful response when I spoke to her personally, which left we with no alternative but to resign,” she said, adding: “Yes, it is true that I am one-eyed, but I take special offense at being called a ‘shit,’”

Urresta lost sight in one eye after she was struck by a teargas cannister during a 2019 anti-government protest in Quito.

Sergio Peña, who resigned from RC in May, said Urresta was insulted despite the fact she had attempted keep her complaints within the party. “Like me, she tried to work within the system but was called out for complaining about the autocratic structure of the movement,” Peña said. “Also like me, she resents taking orders from someone who doesn’t even live in the country.”

Urresta said she will remain in the Assembly as an independent.

Assemblyman faces doodling charge
Dominique Serrano, the youngest National Assembly member at 24, faces possible sanction from the Legislative Administration Council (CAL) for his conduct during an Assembly debate last week. His offense? Doodling on a notepad during a speech.

Assemblywoman Valentina Centeno claims Serrano showed a “lack of respect for the legislative process” by drawing during a speech and said she will file a formal complaint with CAL. “The fact that an assemblyman dedicates himself to drawing in a legislative session denotes a lack of professionalism that damages the institutional image of the Assembly,” Centeno said. She added that Serrano’s doodling was captured on video and circulated on social media.

In his defense, Serrano explained that he has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and that drawing helps him stay focused. “I was listening carefully to the presentation while I was drawing and certainly meant no disrespect to anyone,” he said.