Ill. Rep. Proposes Mandatory Video for Men Seeking Viagra

March 7, 2012 — Illinois Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D) has proposed an amendment to an antiabortion-rights bill (HB 4085) that would require men to watch a video about the potential side effects of Viagra before they could receive a prescription for it, the Huffington Post reports. The amendment is before the House Rules Committee and has not been officially attached to the bill, which would require women seeking abortion care to first receive an ultrasound.

Cassidy said the amendment would add gender equity to the ultrasound bill and should not be dismissed as a symbolic "protest amendment." She added, "If [men are] serious about us not being [able] to make our own health care decisions, then I'm just as serious about them not being able to make theirs" (Bassett, Huffington Post, 3/5).

The ultrasound bill, sponsored by Rep. Joseph Lyons (D), would require the abortion provider to perform an ultrasound and ask the woman if she wants to view the image. The woman would have to fill out a form to decline the offer. The bill has passed out of committee (Women's Health Policy Report, 2/23).

Cassidy's amendment is the latest in a series of proposals by female lawmakers seeking to add gender equity to bills that target women's reproductive health care. In Virginia, Sen. Janet Howell (D) sought to amend an ultrasound bill so that men would be required to receive rectal exams prior to being prescribed Viagra. During the Oklahoma Legislature's consideration of a "personhood" bill, Sen. Constance Johnson (D) proposed an amendment that would have declared that wasting sperm was an act against unborn children (Huffington Post, 3/5).