Proposed Kentucky law requires note from wives to purchase Viagra

Published 11:46 am Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Frankfort, Kentucky – The battle of the sexes over laws affecting health rights has opened a new front in Kentucky.

A female lawmaker recently introduced a bill in the Kentucky Legislature hampering men’s ability to obtain and use Viagra and similar erectile dysfunction drugs in retaliation for a new state law that requires women to consult with a doctor at least 24 hours before an abortion.

Democratic State Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, a retired nurse from Louisville, admits her bill has a humorous ring to it, but she says it is time for women to start controlling men’s health rights if men insist on legislating women’s rights.

“Women in Kentucky are smart enough to make their own private decisions” about their bodies and their health, said Marzian in decrying the so-called “informed consent” abortion bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Matt Bevin last week.

Marzian’s bill requires men seeking prescription Viagra, Cialis, Levitra or Avanafil to visit a doctor twice for their condition, obtain the written permission of their wives and swear on a bible that the drugs will be used only for erectile dysfunction to have sex with their current spouse.

Marzian, a strong abortion rights advocate, said she’s simply trying to protect men from the many unintended health consequences of the erectile dysfunction drugs, including heart attack, loss of vision, and an erection that lasts for more than four hours.

“We just want to protect men from themselves,” she said.

Marzian was one of only three House Democrats to vote against the new state law requiring women to consult face-to-face with a doctor 24 hours prior to an abortion. The bill was sponsored by a woman, Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, and is just one of several abortion related measures before the Kentucky Legislature.

Marzian said her bill restricting use of Viagra and like drugs is a direct response to the “informed consent” abortion legislation. She said she wants her male legislative colleagues to feel the same way many women do when laws are passed affecting their reproductive rights.

 Marzian said she’s received supportive emails from women across the country who learned about her Viagra bill  from national news outlets, including a feature segment on the PBS News Hour.

Marzian said she also wants to restrict gun rights in Kentucky, and is thinking about filing legislation to require firearms buyers to first undergo consultation with victims of gun violence.