Georgia Democrats to propose limitations on vasectomies for men

[SkyTrekTower]

As members of Georgia’s House of Representatives debate whether to prohibit abortions for women more than 20 weeks pregnant, House Democrats  planned to introduce their own reproductive rights plan: No more vasectomies that leave "thousands of children ... deprived of birth."

Rep. Yasmin Neal, a Democrat from the Atlanta suburb of Jonesboro, planned to introduce a bill Wednesday that would prevent men from vasectomies unless needed to avert serious injury or death.

“If we legislate women’s bodies, it’s only fair that we legislate men’s,” said Neal, who said she wanted to introduce a bill that would generate emotion and conversation the way anti-abortion bills do. “There are too many problems in the state. Why are you under the skirts of women? I’m sure there are other places to be."

Personally, Neal said, she has no qualms with vasectomies.

“But even if it were proposed as a serious issue,” she said, “it’s still not my place as a woman to tell a man what to do with his body."


The anti-vasectomy bill was a response to a bill that would punish abortions performed after the 20th week of pregnancy with prison sentences between one and 10 years. Georgia law currently prohibits abortion after the second trimester, except to preserve the life and health of the mother.

The anti-abortion bill makes exceptions to avert death or “serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function” of the mother, but doesn’t include “diagnosis or claim of a mental or emotional condition.” If an abortion occurs after the 20th week, the bill requires doctors to attempt to deliver a living baby.

CNN

[Cerim Treascair]

I think I need to send this woman a thank you card.

[ironbite]

Bet this gets shot down by everyone else.

Ironbite-and then they vote to restrict abortions because WHY NOT!

[m52nickerson]

Yup, because the Right would never even allow themselves to see any similarities between the two bills.

[clockworkgirl21]

I'm afraid I have to say 20 weeks is way too late for an elective abortion.

[Cataclysm]

I agree with clockwork; although it might extend a few weeks more depending on nervous system development. An embryo is not a person, and a zygote is definitely not a person, but after ~5 months the line gets fuzzy and it is of the well being of society to care for their fellow people.

Although the 10 year prison sentence is just draconian. I think this could be compared to the duty to rescue law, but I'm not sure what the punishment for that is.

[Osama bin Bambi]

What if she's serious?

[m52nickerson]

What if she's serious?

No more snippy-snippy for the guys.  I'm glad I already got mine, because at some point someone in Florida will think this is really a good idea.

[Lithp]

Bet this gets shot down by everyone else.

Ironbite-and then they vote to restrict abortions because WHY NOT!

True, but if these bills are brought up every time an anti-abortion bill is, eventually it might start to sink in.