Dancing Across the Country

thedailywhat:

Anti-Vasectomy Act of the Day: Lawmakers in Georgia are the latest to hop aboard the prove-a-point legislation train that’s already made stops in Virginia, Oklahoma, and Mississippi.

Georgia Democrats held a hearing today in the state House on an anti-vasectomy bill, which aims to point out the hypocrisy inherent in a majority male legislature restricting the reproductive rights of women.

“Thousands of children are deprived of birth in this state every year because of the lack of state regulation over vasectomies,” bill author Rep. Yasmin Neal (D-Riverdale) said in a statement. “It is patently unfair that men can avoid unwanted fatherhood by presuming that their judgment over such matters is more valid than the judgment of the General Assembly, while women’s ability to decide is constantly up for debate throughout the United States.”

At the heart of the purposely ludicrous protest is House Bill 954, which seeks to criminalize abortions from the point at which “the fetus can sense pain.” According to the legislation’s author, Rep. Doug McKillip (R-Athens), his bill would make abortions illegal seven weeks prior to the limit set by Roe v. Wade.

McKillip took issue with the anti-vasectomy bill, saying it “make[s] light of something as important as protecting life.” House Democratic Leader Stacey Abrams countered that McKillip’s bill is hypocritical.

“If we follow his logic,” she said, “we believe it is the obligation of this General Assembly to assert an equally invasive state interest in the reproductive habits of men and substitute the will of the government over the will of adult men.”

McKillip, formerly a Democrat, made headlines in 2010 for switching parties shortly after being elected chairman of the Democratic caucus.

[jacksonville.]