Mississippi state Senator Bradford Blackmon, a Democrat, introduced a bill this week that seeks to ban men from masturbating or engaging in other sexual acts when they have no "intent to fertilize an embryo."
According to NBC news, the bill is unlikely to pass the GOP-led Legislature, but if it does and is signed into law by Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, it would go into effect in July.
Here's what the Bill, which is unlikely to be passed in the House, stated:
The "Act" seeks to "provide that it shall be unlawful for a person to discharge genetic material [or sperm] without the intent to fertilize an embryo; to provide for criminal penalties; to provide certain exceptions; and for related purposes."
The two exceptions mentioned in the Bill said the law shall not apply to the discharge of “genetic material”:
(a) Donated or sold to a facility for the purpose of future procedures to fertilize an embryo (sperm donation).
(b) Discharged with the use of a contraceptive or contraceptive method intended to prevent fertilization of an embryo (unprotected sex).
Upon conviction of a violation of this section, a person shall be fined:
(a) $1000.00 for a first offense;
(b) $5000.00 for a second offense; and
(c) 10,000.00 for a third or subsequent offense
In a statement to NBC affiliate WLBT of Jackson, Blackmon referred to the high number of state legislative bills introduced in recent years that target women's access to reproductive health care, specifically abortion and contraception.
"All across the country, especially here in Mississippi, the vast majority of bills relating to contraception and/or abortion focus on the woman’s role when men are fifty percent of the equation," he wrote.
"This bill highlights that fact and brings the man’s role into the conversation. People can get up in arms and call it absurd but I can’t say that bothers me."
Currently, 12 states, including Mississippi, have total or near-total abortion bans, while an additional six states ban abortion from six to 12 weeks of gestation, according to NBC report citing KFF, a nonprofit group that researches health policy issues.
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