Alabama men will have to get vasectomy as soon as they turn 50 to ‘neutralize’ abortion ban, says new bill
A Democratic state lawmaker from Birmingham, Alabama, has introduced legislation proposing a mandatory vasectomy for men above the age of 50 in the region or after their third biological child.
The proposed bill, filed by State Rep. Rolanda Hollis (D) on Thursday, directs "every Alabama man to undergo a vasectomy within one month of his 50th birthday or the birth of his third biological child, whichever comes first," according to The Hill.
The legislation is reportedly being seen by many as a response to the controversial Human Life Protection Act passed by the state legislature in 2019. The law imposes a near-total ban on abortions in the state, including cases of rape and incest. The act also aims to punish doctors providing abortion procedures to women, with possible imprisonment of up to 99 years. The bill, however, was blocked from taking effect in November last year by U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson, who found it unconstitutional. The Alabama Attorney General's office has not yet appealed the temporary injunction of the bill.
The new bill proposed by Hollis, called HB238, notes that there are no restrictions on the reproductive rights of men. "Under existing law, there are no restrictions on the reproductive rights of men,” the bill’s synopsis reads, adding that men, however, will have to undergo the procedure at their own expense.
Hollis, while talking to AL.com, said: "The vasectomy bill is to help with the reproductive system, and yes, it is to neutralize the abortion ban bill ... it always takes two to tango. We can’t put all the responsibility on women. Men need to be responsible also." The lawmaker has a reputation for these antics. Hillis, during the 2019 Alabama abortion bill debate, had read a poem titled 'If My Vagina was a Gun'," in an attempt to highlight how gun rights hold more weightage than women's rights in the state.