We have been hearing a lot of news about laws, and proposed laws, that are designed to regulate women’s health care. Most of them affect what will, and will not, be covered in a woman’s health insurance plan. What about the reproductive health care of men? Some lawmakers are working on making sure that men are not left out of this type of regulation.
There have been a lot of laws and regulations passed that are designed to control the access that women have to specific types of women’s health care. Most of these laws prohibit certain types of care from being covered in a health insurance policy.
Arizona is going to vote on a bill that, if passed, would require a woman to have to prove to her boss that the birth control she is using is for medical reasons, (and not to prevent a pregnancy). If not, then the employer would be allowed to conclude that a woman is using birth control to prevent pregnancy, and deny insurance coverage for it.
Virginia wanted to pass a law that would have required women who were seeking abortions to undergo a vaginal ultrasound before they would be allowed to have an abortion. This portion of the bill did not pass. Instead, a modified law has been passed that still requires women to undergo ultrasound imaging first, (but not vaginally).
Texas chose to cut all of the funding from the state’s Medicaid Women’s Health Program (WHP) from Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood was the largest provider of women’s health care in Texas. Texas has now lost their federal funding for the WHP. Thousands of low-income women are now without access to women’s health care.
Of course, let’s not forget the ongoing battle between the federal government and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops over the requirement that health insurance must cover the cost of birth control. All of these laws are designed to regulate women’s reproductive health care.
What about the reproductive health care of men? A group of lawmakers don’t want men to have their reproductive health care needs neglected. They are creating bills that, if passed into law, will regulate men’s reproductive health care in a similar way to how women’s reproductive health care is currently being regulated. Just like with women, these laws would affect the ability of men to have their health care needs covered by their health insurance policy.
Georgia’s House Bill 1116 would prohibit men from being able to get vasectomies. It states:
“Thousands of children are deprived of birth in this state every year because of the lack of state regulation over vasectomies”.
Oklahoma State Senator Constance Johnson proposed an amendment that states:
“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”.
Ohio State Senator Nina Turner has put forward legislation that would regulate men’s ability to receive viagra in a way that is similar to how certain laws regulate women’s ability to receive birth control. Men seeking viagra would be required to undergo a cardiac stress test to ensure that their heart is ready for sexual activity.
They would be required to obtain certification from one of their recent sexual partners that proves that the man is experiencing problems with erectile disfunction. The man would be required to see a sex therapist who would counsel him about pursuing celibacy as a viable lifestyle choice.
Do these bills sound controversial and extreme? They are intended to. The purpose is not to pass these particular bills into law. Instead, they are designed to emphasize the unfairness, unnecessary control, and ridiculous regulations that have been made into law, or are being proposed, in regards to women’s reproductive health care, (and their ability to have their health insurance cover it).
Image by Felix E. Guerrero on Flickr