Members from the Georgia House of Representatives are currently debating whether women who are 20 weeks pregnant or more should be allowed to receive an abortion and in response to that Republican sponsored bill House Democrats are proposing a ban on vasectomies in the form of an amendment that would leave “thousands of children … deprived of birth.”
The ban will be introduced on Wednesday by Rep. Yasmin Neal and will require that men only receive vasectomies if needed to avoid serious injury or death.
Neal says of the bill:
“If we legislate women’s bodies, it’s only fair that we legislate men’s … 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.”
Neal is quick to point out that she has no problems with vasectomy’s that the the bill is only meant to draw in strong emotions that entice people to take notice of the reproductive rights issue.
Under the current abortion bill women who receive pregnancy termination after 20 weeks will face one to 10 year abortion terms. Under current Georgia law abortion is prohibited after the second trimester except in cases where the mothers life and health are brought into question.
This isn’t the first time the Democrats have attached an amendment in order to make light of a Republican sponsored bill that takes away women’s reproductive rights. Democrat Janet Howell attached an amendment to a Virginia State Senate bill in January that required women to have an ultrasound before they could undergo an abortion procedure. Under that amendment men would be required to have a rectal exam and cardiac stress test performed before they could receive erectile dysfunction, an amendment that was rejected into the Senate with a final vote of 21-19.
Do you think the Democrats are making light of the situation in Georgia or doing a good job to raise awareness about a serious one-sided issue that focuses on removing women’s rights?
