Proposed Texas Bill Would Fine Men $100 Every Time They Masturbate

Dubbed "the Man's Right to Know Act."

By Dennis Hinzmann

 

Mon, 2017-03-13

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Texas, thinking it’s the foremost authority on women’s reproductive rights, has a new bill before its state House of Representatives that dares the state to be as stringent with men and their sexual activity.

Democratic Rep. Jessica Farrar, tired of the one-sided debate on reproduction that solely targets and blames women, has proposed House Bill 4260, a bill “relating to the regulation of men’s health and safety.”  

HB 4260, dubbed “the Man’s Right to Know Act,” would fine men $100 for any instance of male masturbation, or, “emissions outside of a woman’s vagina.” If you’re having Legally Blonde flashbacks, it’s because similar language was used when Elle Woods cemented her spot as one of Callahan’s interns.

Photo via @GapToothB

If a man’s masturbatory emission wasn’t medically stored for potential future use, it would qualify as “an act against an unborn child, and failing to preserve the sanctity of life,” according to the bill. Yes, that’s the same type of language old white lawmakers use to impose restrictions on access to abortion, and, scientifically speaking, men abandon anywhere from 40 million to 1.2 billion potential children (sperm cells) per ejaculation.

 

The fetal remains bill imposes state-sponsored moral beliefs on women, affecting their ability to make personal decisions with their doctor.

— Jessica Farrar (@JFarrarDist148) March 8, 2017

#HB4260, “A Man’s Right to Know,” mirrors real TX laws and health care restrictions faced by TX women every #txlege session.

— Jessica Farrar (@JFarrarDist148) March 11, 2017

If this bill sounds like one big “do you see how ridiculous you sound” argument, that’s because it is. “There are inconsistencies in their [GOP lawmakers’] argument about the sanctity of life,” Farrar told Mic in a phone interview. “If this is really about the sanctity of life, semen is a really important piece to that formula and we can’t be can’t be wasting it, if that’s the case. It should be used for what it was meant to be used for and that is to create life.”

The bill mirrors the notorious “Woman’s Right to Know” bill further, including men submitting to “medically unnecessary” rectal exams and sonograms for men seeking Viagra prescriptions, colonoscopies, or vasectomies, along with a 24-hour waiting period after an initial inquiry before any procedure. Similar to Texas’ Senate Bill 25, under HB 4260 doctors can also “invoke their personal, moralistic or religious beliefs in refusing to perform an elective vasectomy or prescribe Viagra.” Yes, that’s the same morality clause that allows doctors to turn away women seeking abortions. Read the full Mic article here. 

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