State Rep. Kelly Cassidy Fights Sexism With Viagra Bill

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Mar 13, 2012 5:50PM

Sean Nel / Shutterstock.com

When we discuss sexist lawmakers in other states — Wisconsin's Glenn Grothman's stance on single parenthood or Indiana's Bob Morris's stance on the "radical" Girl Scouts — we generally feel lucky to only be embarrassed by things like Rep. Joe Walsh's stance on contraception. But Illinois lawmakers have made their fair share of anti-women moves, too, and state Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) introduced a bill to fight back against them.

A bill with the deceptively innocuous title Ultrasound Opportunity Act was introduced last month. It would force women seeking abortions to first undergo an ultrasound, but won't be forced to watch it. Then the bill was pushed through the House Agriculture Committee — yes, the one that deals with cows and pigs — because that tends to be a more conservative committee, more likely to sign off on it. That's when Cassidy decided to add an amendment because she is tired of politicians deciding that “women are incapable of making their own decisions.”

CBS writes:

If an Illinois lawmaker gets her way, men seeking Viagra prescriptions for erectile dysfunction, will be required to watch a graphic video first.
“They need to see a visual depiction of the treatment for the most common side effect to Viagra use, which is priapism, and it’s not a pretty procedure to watch,” state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Chicago Democrat, says.

You know how Viagra commercials say to seek medical attention if an erection lasts longer than four hours? Priapism is the technical term for that. Treatment ranges from ice packs to surgery. Well played, Cassidy.

An Ohio state Rep. used a similar tactic to push back against state reproductive bills. State Sen. Nina Turner's (D-Cleveland) bill would require men to "see a sex therapist, receive a cardiac stress test and get a notarized affidavit signed by a sexual partner affirming impotency" before obtaining a prescription for Viagra.

Here is a video of Sean Hannity ranting on how Viagra treats a medical problem "versus a choice to have sex." Birth control pills treat a variety of medical issues like polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, fibroid tumors, iron deficiency and lots of other medical conditions. Video via Think Progress.