Texas Democrat Proposes Bill To Fine Men For Masturbating In Response To Abortion Laws

A Texas lawmaker proposed a bill Friday that would, among other things, fine men $100 for masturbating. Democratic State Rep. Jessica Farrar’s House Bill 4260, or “A Man’s Right To Know Act,” was intended as a satirical response to a previously passed women’s health law of the same name.

The law would create a pamphlet for men with medical information regarding vasectomies, colonoscopies and Viagra prescriptions and require a 24-hour period after initial consultation before any of the above procedures could be performed. It would also allow doctors to avoid performing procedures by citing “personal, moralistic or religious beliefs.”

Read: Texas Releases Women's Medical Booklet With Inaccurate Information About Abortion

The bill was a direct response to the state's 2011 “Woman’s Right To Know” legislation, which required women to have a sonogram in order to hear a fetus’ heartbeat and learn of alternatives like adoption before having an abortion.

“What I would like to see is this make people stop and think,” Farrar told the Texas Tribune, noting that she knows the bill won’t pass. “Maybe my colleagues aren’t capable of that, but the people who voted for them, or the people that didn’t vote at all, I hope that it changes their mind and helps them to decide what the priorities are.”

As for the masturbation fine, Farrar explained the logic behind that: “It’s a waste…because that semen can be used – and is to be used – for creating more human life,” she told the Texas Tribune. “If there’s going to be an emission, it would have to be done in a hospital where the semen could be preserved for future pregnancies or it would be directly deposited into the vagina of a woman.”

The fines collected would be given to the Department of Family and Protective Services.

Read: Texas Proposes Bill Restricting Partial Birth Abortions And Fetal Tissue Donations

Texas is home to some of the strictest abortion laws in the state. The “Women’s Right To Know” pamphlet distributed and designed by Texas Health and Human Services got an updated treatment in December which included discredited information about the link between breast cancer and infertility and abortions.

“A lot of people find the bill funny,” Farrar told the Houston Chronicle. “What’s not funny are the obstacles that Texas women face every day, that were placed there by legislatures making it very difficult for them to access healthcare.”