Nina Turner - Watching out for men. Thank you Nina! |
Turner told msnbc.com on Thursday that the measure was her
way of sending a message to the Legislature in response to Ohio’s
so-called Heartbeat Bill, which is now pending in the state Senate. That
measure would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected – sometimes
as early as in the sixth week of pregnancy.
“I’m fed up
over all this concern, consideration and conversation over the feeble and
fragile minds of women who are unable to make decisions on their own,” Turner
said. “I thought it was time to show our men some love and some
regulation. It was time to level the playing field for all.”
Turner said she started working
on SB 307 about three weeks ago, and made sure the language
mimicked the abortion legislation.
Turner’s bill would require doctors
to get a second opinion from a psychological professional to verify that a
patient has a medical reason for the medication.
It also would require doctors
to inform patients in writing of the risks involved in taking the
drugs; require that records about prescriptions for erectile
dysfunction be retained in a patient’s file for at least seven years; and
require men to sign a document acknowledging the risks of taking the
medication, just like the anti-abortion bill does, she said.
Turner said she has received
hundreds of supportive of her cause since she introduced the bill on
Tuesday. She said she expected her bill to pass, just like the Heartbeat Bill
did in the Ohio House in June.
“By implementing more intensive
screenings before prescribing the medication and requiring outpatient
educational services, we can do more to prevent the potential side effects
linked to PDE-5 inhibitors,” Turner said in a press release announcing the
bill. “We must advocate for the traditional family, protect the sanctity of
procreation and ensure that all men using PDE-5 inhibitors are healthy, stable,
and educated about their options -- including celibacy as a viable life choice.
This legislation will do just that.”
(MSNBC)