Mississippi State Senator Introduces Bill to Ban Men from Masturbating Without Intent to Fertilize
Mississippi state Senator Bradford Blackmon, a Democrat, has introduced a bill that would seemingly ban men from masturbating or engaging in other sexual acts without the intent to fertilize an embryo. The bill, titled the “Contraception Begins at Erection Act,” would make it unlawful for a person to discharge genetic material without the intent to fertilize an embryo. The bill includes exceptions for sperm donation and using contraception to prevent fertilization.
If the bill passes and is signed into law by Governor Tate Reeves, a Republican, it would impose fines of $1,000 for a first offense, $5,000 for a second offense, and $10,000 for any subsequent offenses. The bill is unlikely to pass the GOP-led Legislature, but if it does, it would go into effect in July.
Senator Blackmon, a first-term senator representing a district north of Jackson, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, in a statement to NBC affiliate WLBT of Jackson, he referred to the high number of state legislative bills introduced in recent years that target women’s access to reproductive health care, specifically abortion and contraception. He stated that the bill brings the man’s role into the conversation and highlights the fact that most bills relating to contraception and/or abortion focus on the woman’s role when men are 50% of the equation.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and ended the constitutional right to abortion, legislatures in Republican-led states have increasingly sought to restrict abortion and contraception access. Currently, 12 states, including Mississippi, have total or near-total abortion bans, while an additional six states ban abortion from six to 12 weeks of gestation.
