Ohio Reps. Propose ‘Straight Man Sex Ban’ to Make a Point

OK, this is kind of funny. Democratic Ohio state representatives, Anita Somani and Tristan Rader have created a “straight man sex ban” to make a statement about policing reproductive rights. The two representatives proposed a bill that would limit reproductive rights for men similarly to the way women’s are currently being restricted. They plan to introduce the “Conception Begins at Erection Act” that would make it a felony for straight men to have unprotected sex without the intention of having a child.

If this sounds crazy to you, that’s good. That’s what it is meant to do. Representative Anita Somani is also an OBGYN who has witnessed the challenges and dangers that people have faced battling against having their reproductive health “regulated.” The bill is meant to be nonsensical and show how ridiculous it is to put restrictions on people’s bodies like that. She told Cleveland’s 19 News, “It’s more to make the statement and start the conversation … I’m here to show the absurdity of regulating anybody’s rights.” Cleveland’s 19 News also talked to Ohio men about the act. One man said, “It sounds insane,” while another said, “Sounds like every male that’s ever lived in Ohio is gonna become a criminal I mean that’s just insane to propose.”

The bill would charge up to a $10,000 fine for an offense of “discharg(ing) semen or genetic material without intent to fertilize an embryo.” There are exceptions for men who are donating sperm, using birth control, masturbating, or having sex with a person who “does not produce ova.” Somani told Cleveland 5 News, “You don’t get pregnant on your own. If you’re going to penalize someone for an unwanted pregnancy, why not penalize the person who is also responsible for the pregnancy?” Republican activist Austin Beigel responded saying, “It’s beyond ridiculous what’s going on here … It’s a mockery of the most basic biological concepts.” Somani agreed, saying, “If you think it’s absurd to regulate men, then you should think it’s equally absurd to regulate women.” Biegel has been trying to get abortion banned in Ohio for years now.

According to the Advocate, there are near-total abortion bans in 13 states in the U.S. With the increasing healthcare concerns being created by our current administration, it’s no surprise that people like Somani and Rader have gone to new lengths to make themselves heard above all the noise. Somani says, “We really want to draw attention to our State House and the bills that we’re seeing that harm Ohio.” This certainly caught my attention. Somani says that she knows the bill won’t pass but is going to bring listening ears to this conversation. Republicans and other conservatives have thought it perfectly normal to place restrictions on women’s (and other people who can get pregnant’s) bodies. This is to show how unreasonable that truly has been.

Photo by Bryan Dozier on Instagram