Okla. lawmaker offers 'tongue-in-cheek' response to abortion bill: mandatory vasectomies
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) – A Democratic state representative introduced a "tongue-in-cheek proposal" to mandate vasectomies for males in Oklahoma.
Rep. Mickey Dollens, the minority whip, brought up the idea last week on the House floor in response to the Republican-led Oklahoma Legislature passing the toughest state ban on abortion in the U.S.
"I would invite you to co-author a bill that I'm considering next year that would mandate that each male, when they reach puberty, get a mandatory vasectomy that's only reversible when they reach the point of financial and emotional stability," Dollens told fellow lawmakers.
"If you think that's crazy, then I think that maybe you understand how 50% of Oklahomans feel, as well," he continued.
Dollens later appeared on MSNBC, where he acknowledged the idea was “tongue-in-cheek” and intended to "fight fire with fire" against the GOP’s “extreme” anti-abortion bills, which he contends are politically motivated.
“The party of so-called limited government and personal freedom has become the party of an intrusion,” he said in his MSNBC interview.
“I’ll be on the record to say I don’t believe that government should regulate anyone’s reproductive system,” Dollens said.
Dollens, speaking to fellow lawmakers last week, said birth control, family planning, sex education and increasing wages would make a difference in reducing unwanted pregnancies.
