Yes.
According to Fox News, a South Carolina legislator is trying to pass a bill that would require men to wait an entire day before picking up medications like Viagra -- and to bring a note from their significant others discussing the issues in their nether regions.
OK, this sounds absurd. But Rep. Mia McCloud is calling her proposed bill “a tongue-in-cheek response to all of the rules South Carolina’s male-dominated legislature places on abortion.”
Surprisingly, this bill isn’t the first of its kind. In fact, Rep. Mary Lou Marzian of Kentucky proposed similar legislation earlier this year. According to CBS News, her bill would require men who want an inflated kick in the knickers to visit a doctor not once but twice to get such prescriptions. And men would have to have a note from their partners to get the A-OK.
But that’s not all. CBS News reports that House Bill 369 also has a marriage clause in which a man must both be married and "make a sworn statement with his hand on a Bible that he will only use a prescription for a drug for erectile dysfunction when having sexual relations with his current spouse."
So just what the heck are these women thinking?
The answer is simple. They’re going after anti-abortion advocates -- and the concept of male-dominated legislation.
"My point is to illustrate how intrusive and ridiculous it is for elected officials to be inserting themselves into private and personal medical decisions," Marzian, who is a nurse, tells Reuters (as reported by CBS News).
The proposal was perfectly timed. In fact, it came to light almost immediately after Republican Gov. Matt Bevin of Kentucky did something drastic. He signed an "informed consent" law. This law would force women to engage in counseling with a physician one day before having an abortion.
It’s not tough to understand what these female legislators are trying to prove. They are tired of laws like these, and they’re protesting men who want to dictate decisions about women's health.
That’s because men dominate legislative processes. In fact, men make up more than 75 percent of state legislators nationally, according to the National Conference of State Legislators.
"Do we really want a bunch of legislators interfering in private, personal, medical decisions?" Marzian questioned, as reported by CBS News. And while she doesn’t expect the bill to pass, she’s making a strong statement about the current state of women’s rights under such legislation.
CBS News reports that there have been other attempts by conservative legislators to impose laws that regulate just what women do with their bodies. In fact, they say that Oklahoma actually proposed a "spilled semen amendment." This amendment would “declare it an act against unborn children for men to waste sperm.” Virginia legislators proposed an amendment to a bill “requiring an ultrasound before an abortion that would mandate men have a rectal exam before being prescribed Viagra.”
Yes, these attempts at legislation often fail. However, they make a strong statement about the current disputes between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to laws about women's health. This is particularly relevant during an election year filled with debates over the decades-old legality of abortion.
"It's an amazing convergence of events," Charmaine Yoest, CEO of the anti-abortion group Americans United for Life, tells CBS News. "We haven't seen a moment like this for 40 years."
And the issue continues to heat up. We all know that there has been widespread debate over abortion rights between election frontrunners Hillary Clinton, former candidate Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. Clinton vehemently supports pro-choice movement, making every effort possible to support a woman’s right to choose. She openly supports Planned Parenthood. However, Cruz takes an opposing view, stating on his campaign website that “life is a precious gift from God.” In fact, one of his first missions, had he won the Republican nomination, would be to investigate Planned Parenthood.
Trump’s view is unique in its own right. In the '90s, he identified as being pro-choice. However, he now says he’s pro-life. In fact, he told On The Issues that he has evolved over the years and now dislikes the general concept of abortion, going so far as to say women should be punished for undergoing the procedure.
"We may very well have the most extreme Republican presidential nominee since Roe -- a nominee who's not in favor of abortion in any possible way," Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY's List, tells CBS News regarding Cruz. EMILY’s List is said to be a supporter of female candidates who are pro-choice.
One of the biggest issues on the table for both parties involves funding Planned Parenthood. Democrats tend to support federal funding for the organization, but Republicans oppose it.
But legislators aside, where does the nation stand on all of this? Are we pro-choice or pro-life as a whole?
According to CBS News, years of polling have shown that Americans disagree on the issue. In fact, CBS News reports that a recent poll conducted by the Associated Press found that nearly 60 percent of Americans favor abortion legality in most, if not all, cases. However, 39 percent of people say that it should be outlawed. In addition, 45 percent of Americans took a positive stance in regards to Planned Parenthood, and 30 percent viewed it negatively.
At the end of the day, we can agree or disagree about whether or not abortion should be legal. But we must always remember the blessing of having the ability to voice our beliefs, no matter what they are. After all, some countries' citizens are forced to fight for the right to voice their opinions.