Kids & Family
Georgia House Democrats Propose Regulating Vasectomies in Men
In response to pro-life measures introduced in the General Assembly, Georgia House Democrats propose introducing the Anti-Vasectomy Act, a bill designed to regulate vasectomies in men.
Pro-life measures taken by the Republican-sponsored Georgia Assembly House Bill 954, which is currently making its way through the legislature, have spawned a tongue in cheek bill by state Democrats. The Anti-Vasectomy Act is aimed to "call attention to the double standard on reproductive rights" Anti-Vasectomy Act, according to a press release from the Georgia House Democratic Caucus.
Public hearings on this bill will be from 3 - 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the state Capitol.
HB 954, if passed would criminalize abortions after 20 weeks and make exceptions more strict, a change to current laws allowing abortions up until the third trimester. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported the penalty could be from one to 10 years in prison, for someone convicted of performing an abortion after 20 weeks.
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The Georgia House Democratic Caucus released a statement Tuesday in reference to the proposed bill that would regulate vasectomies in men.
“Thousands of children are deprived of birth in this state every year because of the lack of state regulation over vasectomies,” author of the proposed bill, Rep. Yasmin Neal, said in the release. “It is patently unfair that men can avoid unwanted fatherhood by presuming that their judgment over such matters is more valid than the judgment of the General Assembly, while women’s ability to decide is constantly up for debate throughout the United States.”
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“The Republican attack on women’s reproductive rights is unconscionable. What is more deplorable is the hypocrisy of HB 954’s author," House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams said in the release. "If we follow his logic, we believe it is the obligation of this General Assembly to assert an equally invasive state interest in the reproductive habits of men and substitute the will of the government over the will of adult men.”
Do you think this Anti-Vasectomy Act is beneficial to the argument or do you think it is just a tit-for-tat measure that is more likely to inflame than provide logical parallels?
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