'No one's telling a man what not to do with his private parts': Reproductive rights at the forefront of pre-filed bill
The 2024 Alabama Legislative Session starts this week and reproductive rights are the subject of one pre-filed bill.
Sponsor Rep. Juandalynn Givan (D) House District 60, said not only starts a conversation around abortion rights, but also the responsibilities of men and their role in a pregnancy.
"My bill is simple," Givan said. "If there is a young girl who has been raped or there's incest involved, or a woman that has been raped, the bill would require a man, if found guilty, to have a vasectomy or some form of castration."
Givan said the bill would also hold the father responsible if the mother's life is in danger.
"It does begin again to start the dialog with regard to no one's telling a man what to do with his private parts. No one's telling a man what not to do with his private parts. So, at best, it begins a dialogue," Givan said.
She said they would have a role in handling the "monetary charges and burden that would be put on the mother."
Givan said she's also asking the state to reconsider abortion laws in the case of rape and incest, also if the mother's life is at stake.
Right now, in Alabama, abortions are only allowed if the pregnancy poses a serious risk to the mother's health.
"I'm hoping that at some point we will change the law with regards to a woman's right to choose what is best for her body, and with that being said, this legislation could aid in it," Givan said.
Pro-life advocate Shaylene Burlage said she disagrees.
"I don't see any reason to ever kill a child in the womb," Burlage said.
While Burlage is against abortion, she calls incest and rape terrible crimes, saying people should be held accountable for them.
"Now, whether vasectomy is the answer, that is not my judgment call it to make," Burlage said. "But as a pro-life advocate, there is one life that absolutely needs to be protected, and that is the innocent child in the womb."
Burlage said instead of abortions, more should be done to support the mother of the child, whether she decides to raise the child or chooses adoption.
"The child in the womb should not have to pay the price for the sins of the father, or the actions of the mother. That is a separate life, and innocent of any wrongdoing," Burlage said.
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