Pennsylvania House The Democrat behind the forced sterilization Pennsylvania bill
A forced sterilization bill for “cisgender men” was proposed by a Democratic state of Pennsylvania lawmaker, Chris Rabb. It would make them get vasectomies.
Rabb made it clear in tweets about the legislation that it was satirical and pushed to make a point. A memorandum for the bill bears the subject line, “Enforcing reproductive responsibility among men.”
“As long as legislators continue to restrict the #ReproductiveRights of cis women, trans men & non-binary folx, there should be laws to address the responsibility of men who impregnate them!” he tweeted. The bill is a legislative response to the controversial abortion bill in Texas.
Here’s what you need to know:
Rabb’s Legislation Would Require ‘All Inseminators’ to Undergo Vasectomies After Their Third Child or 40th Birthday
As long as legislators continue to restrict the #ReproductiveRights of cis women, trans men & non-binary folx, there should be laws to address the responsibility of men who impregnate them!
The memo on the bill was sent to the Pennsylvania House on October 2, 2021.
“For far too long, the public debate around abortion, contraception and related reproductive matters has thrust government into the center of restrictions on the bodily autonomy of women and girls,” it reads.
“Rarely is there a meaningful dialogue around public policy focusing on the personal responsibility of cisgender men in this sphere. The rights of cisgender men have always been paramount in our society with little focus on their responsibility as inseminators to change their behaviors for the good of their partners, families, and society at large.”
The memorandum continues:
As we head toward climax on this heated discourse around this delicate matter, we should come together to address it with surgical precision. We must also commit to mending the social fabric being sliced up by bitter acrimony.
In order to improve public health outcomes and release sweet justice into our households and bedrooms, we must wrap our love of individual liberty in the moral imperative of greater personal responsibility and acknowledge men’s essential role in procreation.
Therefore, I will be introducing legislation that will require all inseminators to undergo vasectomies within 6 weeks from having their third child or 40th birthday, whichever comes first.
Further, this legislation will allow Pennsylvanians to take civil action for unwanted pregnancies against inseminators who wrongfully conceive a child with them.
This legislation will also empower Pennsylvanians to enforce this new law by offering a $10,000 reward for reporting to the proper authorities those scofflaws who have not complied with this statute within the allotted timeframe.
As long as state legislatures continue to restrict the reproductive rights of cis women, trans men and non-binary people, there should be laws that address the responsibility of men who impregnate them. Thus, my bill will also codify “wrongful conception” to include when a person has demonstrated negligence toward preventing conception during intercourse.
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander!
In the spirit of this popular axiom, I encourage my colleagues to take a gander at this forthcoming bill that seeks to end this egregiously gendered double standard for the benefit of all individuals, our families and our great commonwealth.
Rabb Is an Educator & Author
GettyAlison Turkos, right, and Morgan Hopkins, celebrate on the steps of the United States Supreme Court on June 27, 2016 in Washington, DC after a Texas abortion restrictions law was struck down.
Rabb’s legislative bio describes him as “Educator and Author,” and it says he has a 1992 B.A. from Yale College, and an M.S. from the University of Penn in 2006.
See all of his sponsored legislation here. View his co-sponsorship memoranda here.
He’s the representative in District 200, serving Philadelphia County, and he has been a member of the Pennsylvania House since 2017.
His committee assignments are listed as, “Agriculture & Rural Affairs. Commerce. Finance. Judiciary.”
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