To protest a bill that would require women to undergo an ultrasound before having an abortion, Virginia State Sen. Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) on Monday attached an amendment that would require men to have a rectal exam and a cardiac stress test before obtaining a prescription for erectile dysfunction medication.
"We need some gender equity here," she told HuffPost. "The Virginia senate is about to pass a bill that will require a woman to have totally unnecessary medical procedure at their cost and inconvenience. If we're going to do that to women, why not do that to men?"The Republican-controlled senate narrowly rejected the amendment Monday by a vote of 21 to 19, but passed the mandatory ultrasound bill in a voice vote. A similar bill in Texas, which physicians say has caused a "bureaucratic nightmare," is currently being challenged in court.Howell said she is not surprised her amendment failed."This is more of a message type of an amendment, so I was pleased to get 19 votes," she said.She pointed out that there are only seven women in the Virginia senate, and six of them voted in favor of her amendment, along with 13 male senators. Sen. Jill Vogel (R-Fauquier County), the sponsor of the mandatory ultrasound bill, voted against it.
Did you catch that out of forty senators only seven are women? Wow. In 2012. Huh.
As attacks on abortion rights escalate and a woman's ability to define her own life dwindle, the U.S. needs more people like Senator Howell to stand up and point out the massive, stroke-inducing hypocrisy. I'm thinking about moving to her district just so I can vote for her!
2 comments:
Absolutely! I would add that men should have to be tested for STDs, just as women are, often without conscent, before they can get the little blue buggers. Nothing will light a fire under a dude's ass like a big ol' Qtip up the pee spout. Equality!!
"Pee spout"! Ha!!!! :)
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