Callum Jones
A newly proposed bill could see men find an eye-watering amount if they are caught 'ejaculating without intent of conceiving a baby'.
Titled 'The Contraception Begins At Erection Act' - which legislators in Ohio and Mississippi are hoping to pass - would make it illegal for a man to ejaculate with no intention of conceiving a baby.
Both states have exceptions for sperm donation and if a couple use contraception. In Mississippi this would criminalise male masturbation; in Ohio this wouldn't be the case.
A summary of the Mississippi bill reads: "This bill, known as the 'Contraception Begins at Erection Act,' proposes to make it unlawful for a person to discharge genetic material (sperm) without the intent to fertilize an embryo, effectively criminalizing certain male reproductive behaviors."
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While the bill wouldn't jail men, it would hand them hefty fines.
On the first offense, it would be $1,000, which would be raised to $5,000 for a second offense. And if it was to happen for a third time, the individual would have to fork out a whopping $10,000. The same fines would apply in both states.
As you might have gathered, the legislation is not entirely serious.
The Mississippi bill was put forward by lawmaker Bradford Blackmon, the bill would come into force on July 1, 2025, if signed into law by Gov. Tate Reeves - but as we say, this is extremely unlikely to happen.
Blackmon noted that many bills regarding reproductive rights are often targeted at women.
"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, as per NBC News.
"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."
The Ohio bill was brought by State Representatives Anita Somani, who has also been an OBGYN for 30 years, and Tristan Rader. They say it has been drafted in response to moves regulating women's bodies.
Representative Somani said: "You don’t get pregnant on your own. If you’re going to penalize someone for an unwanted pregnancy, why not penalize the person who is also responsible for the pregnancy?"
She emphasised that her aim is not to pass the bill, but to start a conversation
She added: "It’s more to make the statement and start the conversation. You know, I’m not here as an OBGYN, I’m not here to regulate reproductive rights, I’m here to show the absurdity of regulating anybody’s rights.”
Women's reproductive rights in the US have changed drastically in recent years — the biggest being the overturning Roe V. Wade ruling in 2022, which dated back to 1973.
The precedent had given women the right to have an abortion, with it now being illegal in ten states for women to have a termination, even if they have been raped.
Some of the bill's critics have taken it at face value, with Ohio State Republican Representative Austin Beigel saying: "It’s beyond ridiculous what’s going on here. It’s a mockery of the most basic biological concepts."