Pro-Choice Oklahoma Politican Proposes Masturbation Ban
Pro-choice Oklahoma state Senator Constance Johnson introduced legislation that would make masturbation illegal, poking fun at the current "personhood" bill currently being discussed.
The Democratic state senator created her amendment to tack on to SB 1433, better known as the "personhood" bill, which gives unborn persons the same rights as American citizens. If the personhood bill was passed, abortions, in vitro fertilizations, and contraception would be deemed illegal, as all of those interfere with infants eventually being born.
Johnson's amendment- which is completely satirical- read:
"Any action in which a man ejaculates or otherwise deposits semen anywhere but in a woman's vagina shall be interpreted and construed as an action against an unborn child."
In addition, her amendment to the personhood bill would make oral and anal sex illegal as well. Johnson, in the name of pro-choice, feels that the personhood bill is an affront to women's right to choose that currently exists today.
"I am increasingly offended by state law trends that solely focus on the female's role in the reproductive process," she wrote in a piece for The Guardian's" Comment is Free."
"With Oklahoma's new, never-before-experienced Republican majority, we are seeing enactment of more and more measures that adversely affect women and their rights to access safe medical procedures when making reproductive healthcare decisions," added the state senator.
Johnson wanted to make a point, not pass the amendment, however; she voted against it later on in the same session.
Another Democratic senator attempted to make a similar point by volunteering that the father of the unborn child should be financially responsible for all the mother's needs, including her health care and housing.
The personhood bill, while contested in multiple states, has been overwhelmingly defeated, losing in every chamber in which it's proposed. Mississippi and Colorado both had formal discussions on the idea, and both states voted it down.
Oklahoma still has yet to vote yea or nay on personhood. Mississippi is considered a far more conservative state than Oklahoma, and the bill failed there, which could affect the Sooner State's passing of the law.
Senator Aaron Osmond of Utah abandoned his push for personhood Friday, stating that his school reform bills would take precedence instead.
