In a bid to highlight the restrictiveness of anti-abortion laws on women, a Texas state representative has introduced legislation that would financially penalize men for masturbating and force them to have counseling before receiving a prescription for Viagra.
Introduced by Democratic state Rep. Jessica Farrar, the legislation would impose a $100 (P5,030) civil penalty for “masturbatory emissions” occurring outside of a woman’s vagina or a hospital.
According to the bill, every such instance would be categorized as an “act against an unborn child, and failing to preserve the sanctity of life.”
The measure would also allow doctors to refuse to carry out vasectomies, write prescriptions for Viagra or conduct a colonoscopy if they felt such actions went against their moral or religious beliefs in any way. Directly mimicking legislation introduced in Texas in 2011, which required women seeking an abortion to have a sonogram and listen to a description of the fetus prior to having the procedure, Farrar’s bill would require doctors to perform a “medically-unnecessary digital rectal exam” and an MRI before carrying out vasectomies or colonoscopies or before prescribing Viagra.
Where the 2011 Texan legislation demanded that the state publish a booklet called “A Woman’s Right To Know,” in which the strict rules around abortion were set out, Farrar has also called for a state-printed booklet called “A Man’s Right To Know,” which would describe the above restrictions.
In a post on Facebook, Farrar wrote, “Although HB 4260 is satirical, there is nothing funny about current health care restrictions for women and the very real legislation that is proposed every legislative session.” (NYT)