Democratic Sen. Bradford Blackmon was troubled that all the bills in the U.S. related to reproduction and abortion were solely aimed at women. So, he decided to hold men accountable, too, with the Contraception Begins at Erection Act.
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the re-election of Donald Trump, there has been a heightened focus on women’s reproduction. Many states were still unsatisfied even after enacting abortion bans and are pushing for tighter bans and more extreme anti-abortion measures. In Indiana, Sen. Mike Young wants to force sexual assault survivors to sign affidavits under penalties of perjury to receive an abortion under the state’s rape/incest abortion exceptions, while multiple states are pushing to make abortions punishable by the death penalty. What’s interesting about these bills is that they solely focus on penalties for women. They make it sound as if all women in the United States reproduce via autogamy rather than requiring a male to become pregnant. Men are equally responsible for every pregnancy and abortion.
So, where are the laws aimed at controlling men’s bodies? Where are the penalties for men for not being celibate and causing unwanted pregnancies? Thanks to one Mississippi Senator, there’s at least one proposed bill for this purpose.
Sen.Bradford Blackmon introduces contraception bill for men
On January 22, 2025, Blackmon introduced Senate Bill 2319 to the Mississippi legislature. The bill calls to enact the “Contraception Begins at Erection Act.” It seeks to make it “unlawful for a person to discharge genetic material without the intent to fertilize an embryo.” Careless ejaculation could lead to unwanted pregnancies, so it makes sense to put restrictions on it. Meanwhile, the bill includes some penalties to ensure the law is enforced. The first time a man discharges genetic material without the intent to fertilize an embryo, they will be fined $1,000. They’ll be fined $5,000 on the second offense and $10,000 on the third. However, there are exceptions to the law, including if they discharge with the use of contraceptives or at a donation facility. In every other circumstance, though, they’ll face hefty fines.
In a statement to WLBT, Blackmon defended the Contraception Begs at Erection Act. He stated, “All across the country, especially here in Mississippi, the vast majority of bills relating to contraception and/or abortion focus on the woman’s role when men are fifty percent of the equation.” Blackmon explained that the bill’s purpose was to “bring the man’s role into the conversation.” Additionally, he noted it doesn’t bother him whatsoever that people may “get up in arms” and call the bill absurd.”
On TikTok, the bill received some positive responses after @offlineconnor shared it with the caption, “I’m cackling.” User @bourbonoutfitterz commented, “Mississippi really said, ‘oh, you boys used to like your body our choice?? Not anymore?'” Another user wrote, “bahahahaha omg … no more self pleasure for men in Mississippi. I love this for them.” Users also expressed hope that women would push for the bill to be passed. After all, the bill is real and could actually be passed if it gets enough votes.
Obviously, the Contraception Begins at Erection Act would be hard to enforce. However, since Trump was entertaining the idea of states surveilling pregnant women, Mississippi can likely get clearance for such monitoring. It does sound a bit dystopian, but following Trump’s re-election, men were so hyped about “Your body, our choice” that it only seems fair to give them this Act. Perhaps, over time, female lawmakers will even push to amend the law to include the death penalty. I’m sure we could trust that their reasons for pursuing the death penalty are valid and not at all out of bias against men. Instead of pursuing a national abortion ban as they plan, conservatives should consider making Contraception Begins at Erection national to have the same effect.
Published: Jan 23, 2025 11:27 am