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'Conception Begins at Erection Act' would make solo activities illegal in Mississippi
Most laws involving conception target women, but this Democratic politician is trying to change that.
Conservative states across the country have been rolling back reproductive rights since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, but now a Democratic politician from Mississippi is introducing a bill that will impact men’s sex lives.
Mississippi state Sen. Bradford Blackmon, a Democrat, introduced the “Contraception Begins at Erection Act” that would make it illegal for men to masturbate or have sex where they aren’t trying to “fertilize an embryo.”
The controversial bill, introduced Monday, would slap people who "discharge genetic material without the intent to fertilize an embryo” with a $1,000 fine for a first offense, $5,000 for a second offense, and $10,000 for any subsequent offenses.
The 34-year-old Mississippi attorney and freshman state senator pointed to men historically being excluded from responsibility when it comes to abortion bans and laws targeting contraception as the reason why he’s pushing the bill.
"All across the country, especially here in Mississippi, the vast majority of bills relating to contraception and/or abortion focus on the woman’s role when men are fifty percent of the equation," he said in a statement to WLBT News. "This bill highlights that fact and brings the man’s role into the conversation. People can get up in arms and call it absurd but I can’t say that bothers me.”
Mississippi is one of 12 states that have total or near-total abortion bans that took effect after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The proposed legislation includes an exception for using contraception to prevent pregnancy and sperm donations "sold to a facility for the purpose of future procedures to fertilize an embryo” but would otherwise ban masturbation for men. It is unclear how this would impact sex between gay men.
If the bill passed through the GOP-led state legislature with a majority vote and is signed by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, it would go into effect in July, NBC News reports.
Blackmon did not immediately respond to PRIDE’s request for comment.
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
Ariel Messman-Rucker is an Oakland-born journalist who now calls the Pacific Northwest her home. When she’s not writing about politics and queer pop culture, she can be found reading, hiking, or talking about horror movies with the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network.
