A pair of Democrat lawmakers in Ohio say it's not inconceivable to fine men several thousands of dollars and charge them with a felony if they ejaculate without intending to help women conceive a baby.
Ohio state Reps. Anita Somani and Tristan Rader, who authored the "Conception Begins at Erection Act," say their proposal is being made to highlight the hypocrisy in lawmakers regulating women's reproductive rights and call it an interpretation of Biblical law, reports The New York Post.
"You don't get pregnant on your own," Somani, D-Dublin, commented. "If you're going to penalize someone for an unwanted pregnancy, why not penalize the person who is also responsible for the pregnancy?"
Somani, an OBGYN for more than 30 years, told Cleveland 19 that she's seen firsthand how restrictive laws are damaging to women.
"What other right do you know of where women have different rights based on where they live versus men?" she said. "If I live in a state that protects reproductive rights, I have more rights than somebody who lives in a state where reproductive rights have been restricted. Men can go to any state in the United States and have the same rights no matter where they are.'
Rader, meanwhile, said the proposed bill "highlights the vast inequalities in how we talk about men's bodies versus how we talk about women's bodies. If you find this language to be absurd, then maybe you should find any bill attempting to restrict reproductive freedoms absurd as well."
It is illegal in 10 states for women to terminate pregnancies, including those caused during a rape, and three women have ended up in jail after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which said the Constitution gave women the right to seek abortions.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is now saying he wants to reevaluate the legality of birth control, which Somani called absurd.
"If you think it's absurd to regulate men, then you should think it's equally absurd to regulate women," she said. "So this is to make a statement."
The proposed law starts with fines based on the number of offenses.
The first offense would bring a fine of $1,008.49; with the fine rising to $5,042.47 for a second offense and $10,084.93 for a third offense. There was no explanation about how the dollar amounts were determined.
But there are some exceptions, as the men would not be punished if the act doesn't directly involve an egg that can be fertilized.
This means they won't be punished for sperm donations, masturbation, having sex in the LGBTQ+ community, or having sex with a woman who is using birth control, the bill's writers said.
Ohio state GOP Rep. Austin Beigel called the proposed bill "beyond ridiculous."
"It's a mockery of the most basic biological concepts," Beigel said. "The pro-life movement has never tried to regulate women's bodies. We're trying to regulate the actions of people who want to kill another person."
Some men interviewed by Cleveland 19 ridiculed the plan.
"Sounds like every male that's ever lived in Ohio is going to become a criminal," one man told the news program. "I mean that's just insane to propose. I don't know of anybody that's not going to be under arrest after this gets passed if they do pass it."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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