Open Thread: Regulating Men’s Reproductive Health Choices

Ohio State Senator Nina Turner

Last week Ohio State Senator Nina Turner introduced state bill 307, which would require men to have several sessions with a sex therapist, a cardiac stress test, and obtain a notarized statement from their sexual partners saying they are really impotent before they could get a prescription for Viagra or any other “erectile dysfunction” drug. In addition, doctors prescribing the drugs would have to notify the patient in writing of all their possible side effects, and all documentation, including the statement from the man’s sexual partner would be kept in his medical records. From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Turner says she also wants to rally women across the country to push for similar bills in their states.

“It’s not a joke,” Turner told The Plain Dealer this week. “I’m dead serious. I want to continue this strong dialogue about what is fair and what is equal.”

“It is crucial that we take the appropriate steps to shelter vulnerable men from the potential side effects of these drugs,” she said in a written statement.

“The men in our lives, including members of the General Assembly, generously devote time to fundamental female reproductive issues. The least we can do is return the favor.”

Furthermore, Turner is concerned about the serious side effects of ED drugs:

“The side effects of these drugs are very real,” she told The Plain Dealer. “I want to [protect] fragile men who are vulnerable and are not able to make decisions for themselves.”

Turner says her bill is based on medical recommendations for the use of these powerful drugs::

Under Senate Bill 307, men taking the drugs would continue to be tested for heart problems, receive counseling about possible side effects and receive information about “pursuing celibacy as a viable lifestyle choice.”

“Even the FDA recommends that doctors make sure that assessments are taken that target the nature of the symptoms, whether it’s physical or psychological,” Turner said. “I certainly want to stand up for men’s health and take this seriously and legislate it the same way mostly men say they want to legislate a woman’s womb.”

Illinois State Rep. Kelly Cassidy

In Illinois, State Senator Kelly Cassidy has proposed an amendment to a state sponsored rape bill bill requiring ultrasounds for women seeking abortions. The amendment would require any man who asks for a prescription for Viagra to “watch a graphic video on the side effects” of the drug first. From HuffPo:

“If they’re serious about us not being about to make our own health care decisions, then I’m just as serious about them not being able to make theirs,” she told HuffPost on Monday….

Cassidy is one of a string of female lawmakers across the country who have introduced gender-equity amendments to anti-abortion bills. Wilmington, Del. City Councilwoman Loretta Walsh authored a resolution that declares “each ‘egg person’ and each ‘sperm person’ … equal in the eyes of the government.” Oklahoma Sen. Constance Johnson (D) proposed a “spilled semen” amendment to the state’s fetal personhood bill that would declare it an act against unborn children for men to waste sperm. Va. Sen. Janet Howell (D), meanwhile, introduced an amendment to a mandatory ultrasound bill that would require men to have a rectal exam before being prescribed Viagra.