Ohio Men Could Face $10K Fine for Ejaculating Irresponsibly
A pair of Ohio lawmakers have introduced a bill to criminalize the discharge of semen without an intent to procreate.
A newly proposed Ohio bill, the “Conception Begins at Erection” Act, would make engaging in unprotected sex without the intent to procreate a fineable offense of up to $10,000.
State Rep. Anita Somani (D-Dublin), the chief co-sponsor of the bill and an OBGYN by trade, says her bill would make it a felony for a man to “discharge semen without the intent to fertilize” an egg.
A first offense would carry a fine of $1,000, with $5,000 for a second offense and $10,000 for subsequent violations.
The bill does contain some exceptions. Men who use condoms, donate sperm, or masturbate, for instance, would not be fined under the law.
The bill also contains an exception for men who engage in sex with other men or members of the LGBTQ community,
Somani and co-sponsor Rep. Tristan Rader (D-Lakewood) say that they have introduced the bill to expose the hypocrisy of anti-abortion activists and what they call the “absurdity” of passing laws to restrict women from having abortions while placing no restrictions on men’s bodies or sexual conduct.
“This bill highlights the vast inequalities in how we talk about men’s bodies versus how we talk about women’s bodies,” Rader said in a statement. “If you find this language to be absurd, then maybe you should find any bill attempting to restrict reproductive freedoms absurd as well.”
“Fair is fair, right? If this legislature is so dedicated to regulating women’s bodies and their access to contraceptives and abortion care, then let’s start policing men in the same way,” Somani added.
Currently, women in 21 states can face felony charges for trying to obtain an abortion. In 10 of those states, abortions are banned, even in the case of sexual assault.
Ohio voters enshrined the right to an abortion in the state constitution last year, with 57% of Ohioans voting to approve the ballot measure, which prohibits the government from interfering with — or penalizing — a person’s reproductive choices.
However, anti-abortion activists are already seeking to overturn the ballot measure by introducing legislation to criminalize abortion.
Austin Beigel, the president of End Abortion Ohio, told Cleveland’s WEWS that Republicans in the Ohio Legislature will soon introduce such a bill. Once it passes, as expected, Beigel intends to argue in the courts that abortion violates the 14th Amendment rights of an unborn fetus.
Somani and Rader’s bill marks the second “Conception Begins at Erection” law to be introduced in a Republican-dominated legislature. Mississippi State Sen. Bradford Blackmon (D-Canton) introduced a similar bill in his state last month. Blackmon has since received death threats for introducing the bill.
Despite being slammed by right-wingers for mocking their efforts to ban abortion altogether, Somani is standing her ground on this messaging bill.
“You don’t get pregnant on your own,” she told WEWS. “If you’re going to penalize someone for an unwanted pregnancy, why not penalize the person who is also responsible for the pregnancy?”
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