Mississippi State Sen. Bradford Blackmon, a Democrat, introduced a bill this week that would ban masturbation and other sexual acts by men without “the intent to impregnate a fetus.”
The bill, titled “Contraception Begins at Erection Act,” would make it illegal to “excrete genetic material without the intent to fertilize an embryo.” This includes exceptions for sperm donation and the use of contraception to prevent fertilization.
The bill, introduced Monday, would impose fines of $1,000 for a first violation, $5,000 for a second violation and $10,000 for subsequent violations.
The bill is unlikely to pass the Republican-led state Legislature, but if passed and signed by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, it would go into effect in July.
Sen. Blackmon, who is in his first term and represents a district north of Jackson, did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
In a statement to NBC television affiliate WLBT News in Jackson, Blackmon cited a number of state bills in recent years targeting women’s reproductive health care, particularly access to abortion and contraception.
“Across the country, and especially here in Mississippi, the majority of bills related to contraception and abortion focus on women’s role in a world that is 50 percent male,” he wrote. “This bill highlights that fact and brings the role of men into the discussion. People may say it’s irrational to be armed, but I can’t say it bothers me.”
Since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending the constitutional right to abortion, Republican-led state legislatures have increasingly sought to restrict access to abortion and contraception. There is.
Currently, 12 states, including Mississippi, have full or near-total bans on abortion, and six more states have banned abortions between six and 12 weeks of pregnancy, according to KFF, a nonprofit organization that studies health policy issues. Abortion is prohibited.
By mid-2024, eight states have enacted or proposed restrictions on women’s access to contraception, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion access.
