Preen.ph
  • Home
  • Profiles
  • Fashion
  • Culture
  • Beauty
  • Food
  • Space
  • Events
  • Inquirer.net
  • Lifestyle
Social Accounts
82K
14K
5K
4K
  • Home
  • Contact
  • About
82K Likes
14K Followers
5K Followers
4K Subscribers
Subscribe
Preen.ph
Preen.ph
  • Home
  • Profiles
  • Fashion
  • Culture
  • Beauty
  • Food
  • Space
  • Events
  • Inquirer.net
  • Lifestyle
  • Culture
  • Editor's Pick
  • Sex and Sensibility

The ‘Testicular Bill of Rights’ wants to control men’s reproductive system

  • Posted on March 17, 2019March 17, 2019
  • 5 minute read
  • B. Wiser
Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0

BeWiser_HB481_Heartbeat Bill

This column may contain strong language, sexual content, adult humor, and other themes that may not be suitable for minors. Parental guidance is strongly advised.

A funny thing happened at a state legislature recently. A female legislator, a Democrat, responding to HB481, a bill that passed the Georgia House of Representatives by a mere two votes—the “heartbeat bill” essentially bans abortion as soon as a heartbeat is detected in the womb, or as early as six weeks—drafted her own “testicular bill of rights.”

Her intent, of course, was to highlight the utter ridiculousness, not to mention outright misogyny, of the continuous efforts of government (and men) to control a woman’s uterus and her right to choose, and even her right of access to contraception. If the tables were turned, would men agree that the government—as well as other men and women—had the right to decide what their testicles could and couldn’t do? The testicles being the sperm factory, producing the millions of sperm of which one is only necessary to fertilize and egg and form an embryo.

READ MORE: The 11-year-old rape victim from Argentina who asked for an abortion should have gotten it

Since the majority of women who seek abortions have usually fallen pregnant via the tried and tested method of sexual intercourse, shouldn’t men’s ability to contribute to conception also be regulated? Why should women be forced to proceed with a pregnancy they may not want for whatever reasons—and they are almost always not frivolous reasons—while men face no consequences for spilling their seed? 

As Georgia State Representative Dar’shun Kendrick proposed in reply to draconian anti-abortion legislation, her draft bill would:

  • Require men to obtain permission from their sex partner before they are able to obtain a prescription for Viagra or any erectile dysfunction medication.
  • Ban vasectomy procedures in Georgia, both in part or whole, with the name punitive measures for performing the procedure that are listed in HB 481.
  • Make it an “aggravated assault” crime for men to have sex without a condom.
  • Require DNA testing when a woman is 6 weeks and 1 day (to be performed before she is 8 weeks) to determine the father of the child who shall IMMEDIATELY start paying child support.
  • A 24-hour “Waiting period” for men to purchase porn or sex toys in the state of Georgia.

I mean, why not, right?  Because, hey, you want to regulate bodies and choice? Make it apply to everyone across the board, both the sperm producers and the ovary bearers!

Kendrick knows her “testicular bill of rights” has no chance of passing, but that’s not her point. The “heartbeat bill” is clearly unconstitutional, and she wants to bring attention to the relentless efforts by government (generally male-dominated) to ignore “the fundamental right of women to choose their life and destiny by making choices about their bodies and when to start a family.”

Basically her draft legislation takes the piss out of the “heartbeat bill” and says, well, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, so why don’t we tell men what they can do with their d*cks? She told Rolling Stone that she wanted to “bring awareness to the fact that if you’re going to legislate our bodies, then we have every right to propose legislation to regulate yours,”

Speaking to CBS News, she said, “HB-481 [The ‘Heartbeat Bill’] inspired me to see what the reaction would be from some males and male legislators if the tables were turned and we started to talk about their reproductive rights and organs. It has started the conversation about the absurdity of regulating women’s bodies and right to choice and instead focused on men and their rights.”

READ MORE: Why The Handmaid’s Tale is the anti-womanseries you need to see right now

Georgia is not the first state—nor is the United States the first country—to attempt to criminalize abortions. A Texas state representative, Tony Tinderholt, proposed a bill a few years back that would criminalize abortions, his reasoning being that it would make women “more personally responsible” for their sexual behavior. He’s a Republican, in case you were wondering. 

Vicki Larson, writing in Medium, was not having any of this bullsh*t. “I know I am not the only woman who says, enough. I am so tired of men telling me what I can and can’t do with my own body — especially since no one is requiring anything even remotely similar for men. Don’t they need to be “more personally responsible” for their sexual behavior, Rep. Tinderholt? (Who has been married five times, had one wife get a restraining order against and who admitted marrying once ‘for insurance reasons;’ yeah, he sure can tell us how to be ‘responsible’).”

READ MORE: The Church isn’t happy with Pres. Duterte’s move to strengthen RH Bill

Lest we think we are more enlightened here in the Philippines, remember that in a country where divorce is still not allowed, where abortion is still illegal, and where women’s access to birth control and sexual health education is still restricted, despite the Reproductive Health Law having been passed mandating exactly these, women are held to a different standard than men when it comes to sexual matters. Women who are raped are still blamed for “asking for it” because of what she wore, what she drank, and what she might have said, even if that might have included the word “no” uttered several times. Women who become pregnant outside of marriage are still often vilified for their carelessness, while men are rarely held to account at all. And how dare a woman publicly identify her rapist?  Does she care that she is ruining a man’s life and reputation?

Why don’t we start caring a bit more about women and their welfare instead?

B. Wiser is the author of Making Love in Spanish, a novel published by Anvil Publishing and available in National Book Store and Powerbooks, as well as online. When not assuming her Sasha Fierce alter-ego, she takes on the role of serious journalist and media consultant. 

For comments and questions, e-mail [email protected]

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author in her private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of Preen.ph, or any other entity of the Inquirer Group of Companies.

 

Art by Marian Hukom

For the latest in culture, fashion, beauty, and celebrities, subscribe to our weekly newsletter here  

Follow Preen on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Viber

Related stories:
The 11-year-old rape victim from Argentina who asked for an abortion should have gotten it
Where do Tito Sotto and Loren Legarda get off defunding the RH Bill?
The impact of Argentina and Ireland decriminalizing abortion
The Church isn’t happy with Pres. Duterte’s move to strengthen RH Bill

Action Required!

We embed Facebook Comments plugin to allow you to leave comment at our website using your Facebook account. It may collects your IP address, your web browser User Agent, store and retrieve cookies on your browser, embed additional tracking, and monitor your interaction with the commenting interface, including correlating your Facebook account with whatever action you take within the interface (such as “liking” someone’s comment, replying to other comments), if you are logged into Facebook. For more information about how this data may be used, please see Facebook’s data privacy policy: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/update.

Accept    Decline

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • abortion
  • B. Wiser
  • culture
  • Dar’shun Kendrick
  • Georgia House of Representatives
  • Heartbeat Bill
  • Sex and Sensibility
  • Testicular Bill of Rights
Previous Article
work desk
  • Culture
  • Work

Preen tips on making sure you don’t burn out

  • Posted on March 17, 2019March 17, 2019
  • Tisha Ramirez
View Post
Next Article
Paris Jackson_Reports_Rumors
  • Celebrities
  • Culture

“I’m ‘chillen’ like Bob Dylan”: Paris Jackson amid ‘Leaving Neverland’

  • Posted on March 18, 2019March 18, 2019
  • Jacque De Borja
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Culture
  • Culture Stories
  • Relationships

An essay about my first loves who I hope I never meet again

  • Posted on February 26, 2021
  • Zofiya Acosta
preen nct ten best dance videos
View Post
  • Culture
  • Music

NCT Ten’s top 5 dance videos that prove he’s one of K-Pop’s bests

  • Posted on February 25, 2021February 25, 2021
  • Amrie Cruz
preen filipino spotify podcasts
View Post
  • Culture
  • Podcasts

7 ultrapersonal Filipino podcasts for your weekday senti moments

  • Posted on February 24, 2021February 24, 2021
  • Amrie Cruz
preen budjang documantary
View Post
  • Culture
  • LGBT
  • Movies

How a docu on a Muslim trans official helped lobby for anti-discrimination

  • Posted on February 23, 2021February 23, 2021
  • Amrie Cruz
Editors’ Picks
  • Time’s Up Ateneo wants schools to be survivor-centered when dealing with sexual harassment
    • Posted on February 15, 2021February 19, 2021
    • 8 minute read
  • 4 online adult toy stores to hit up because LBR you need it, sis
    • Posted on February 12, 2021February 19, 2021
    • 6 minute read
  • preen horny for feelings videos
    Binge these videos if you’re touch starved and horny for feelings
    • Posted on February 11, 2021February 19, 2021
    • 4 minute read
  • 6 trans and nonbinary professionals on navigating the working world
    • Posted on February 8, 2021February 9, 2021
    • 18 minute read
  • ‘True Beauty’ should come with a trigger warning
    • Posted on February 2, 2021February 9, 2021
    • 3 minute read
Social Accounts
82K
14K
5K
4K
Like us on facebook
Subscribe to our Newsletter
about
Preen.ph © 2020. Hinge Inquirer Publications, Inc.
  • Home
  • Profiles
  • Fashion
  • Culture
  • Beauty
  • Food
  • Space
  • Events
  • Inquirer.net
  • Lifestyle
Social Accounts

Input your search keywords and press Enter.