An Alabama lawmaker has responded to the abortion ban by introducing a mandatory vasectomy bill.
Rep. Rolanda Hollis (D) said “It always takes two to tango,” after noting that the bill sends “the message that men should not be legislating what women do with their bodies.”
The move comes a year after Alabama’s controversial abortion ban, which has been temporarily blocked. The state legislator says the mandatory vasectomy bill would require a man to personally pay for the procedure, “within one month of his 50th birthday or the birth of his third biological child, whichever comes first,” Yahoo Lifestyle reported.
READ MORE: OPINION: ‘I had an abortion in Alabama before the ban goes into effect’
Rep. Hollis introduced House Bill 238 on Thursday, noting that under existing law, “there are no restrictions on the reproductive rights of men.”
In a statement shared with Yahoo Lifestyle, Hollis said the bill “is meant to neutralize last year’s abortion ban bill, and sends the message that men should not be legislating what women do with their bodies.”
READ MORE: Why every Black woman in America should be concerned about Alabama’s abortion ban
In a separate statement to AL.com, she said “It always takes two to tango. We can’t put all the responsibility on women. Men need to be responsible also.”
Hollis supporters praised House Bill 238 on Twitter but critics call it “sick” and “Communism.”
Hollis responded to some of the hate in her statement, while also calling out “the majority party” that continues to “dictate a woman’s body and her reproductive rights” through legislation.
She described it as an “outrageous overstep in authority.”
She added, “Just as I would turn to my doctor over my state legislator to make recommendations when deciding whether or not to have a surgery, or whether or not to take a certain type of medicine, it is my doctor with whom I — or any of my loved ones — should consult when it comes to making the incredibly difficult decisions related to my personal reproductive rights.”
Sen. Ted Cruz responded to the proposed bill, denouncing it without noting the irony. Cruz is staunchly pro-life.
Yikes. A government big enough to give you everything is big enough to take everything…literally! Alabama Democrat proposes bill mandating all men have vasectomy at age 50 or after third child. https://t.co/PeaNUg1Joc
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 16, 2020