World’s Dumbest Viagra Law? Ohio Democrat Wants Notarized Letter, Required Counseling

If you have ever wondered why it takes forever for lawmakers to sift through the mountain of bills they are attempting to debate part of that blame can be placed on Ohio Democrat Nina Turner who last week introduced Senate Bill 307.

The new bill focuses on the steps men must take before they can receive Viagra from their doctor. The bill requires that men jump through three hoops.

1. Men who want to take viagra must meet with a sex therapist to discuss their decision.

2. They must undergo a cardiac stress test to determine the safety of the drug on their bodies.

3. Anyone serious about taking the drug must visit a notary public and have them sign a notarized affidavit which gives the man the right to purchase the drug.

After a patient is taking the drug they must stick with regular counseling and be provided with information about “pursuing celibacy as a viable lifestyle choice.”

Forget the stress test and sex therapist requirements, the bill attempts to completely destroy a man’s right to medical privacy by requiring that they have a non-medical notary public sign off on their personal medical decision. Goodbye HIPAA?

The bill on its surface is a bill against men who abuse Viagra but at its heart Nina Turner is trying to make the point that if women’s reproductive health can be regulated men’s reproductive health should also be regulated.

Turner tells the Dayton Daily News:

“Even the FDA recommends that doctors make sure that assessments are taken that target the nature of the symptoms, whether it’s physical or psychological. I certainly want to stand up for men’s health and take this seriously and legislate it the same way mostly men say they want to legislate a woman’s womb.”

While I can applaud Nina Turner for her attempt to raise awareness about certain issues, her actions to create a bill purely to prove a point blocks up our political system from moving forward with bills that actually have a chance of becoming law.

Do you think “retaliation bills” such as Senate Bill 307 should be stopped as a matter of political overcrowding?

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