Mississippi state Sen. Bradford Blackmon, a Democrat representing the 21st District, had big plans after taking office this year.
However, his constituents and the people of Mississippi could not have imagined his grandiose, showman tactics: authoring a bill whose contents diametrically opposed every fiber of his political values just to prove a point.
The Contraception Begins at Erection Act, which he introduced in the Mississippi Legislature on Jan. 20, is for men a sexually dystopian encroachment on their physical liberty. For women, it’s far too relatable.
The one-of-a-kind legislation criminalizes ejaculation without the intent to impregnate, imposing fines ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.
Blackmon introduced the act to criticize the double standard with which the Legislature treats women. Of course, this scenario is not unique to the Magnolia State, but Mississippi has a particular history of infringing on bodily autonomy, given that Jackson is the proud birthplace of the fight to overturn Roe v. Wade.
In a state where a Republican trifecta rules in state government, health care outcomes for women reflect it. Mississippi ranks last in reproductive outcomes, has the highest rate of maternal mortality, the highest number of uninsured pregnant women, inordinately high rates of preventable pregnancy-related deaths and even soaring syphilis infections.
The undeniable scientific verdict: Laws restricting reproductive health care kill not just women but children, too. That does not seem so “pro-life” to me.
Most likely, the Contraception Begins at Erection Act will be dismissed by right-wing voices as proof that Democrats are wasting their time and by left-wing voices as a wasteful and somewhat risky “political stunt.”
When it comes down to it, Blackmon’s legislation only emphasizes an institutional truth: Our government, specifically right-wing politicians, treats women as objects — sexual scapegoats to bear their offspring and submit silently.
Through an ostensibly doctrinal but actually un-Christlike patriarchal narrative that has plagued our country for too long, women continue to be dehumanized while traditionally masculine men are glorified.
To Blackmon: I commend your willingness to woman up, have a backbone and fight back against threats to bodily autonomy.
To “pro-life” Mississippians: It is not too late to change your opinion. The real “pro-life” thing to do is look at the facts. Reproductive health care is not a luxury but a necessity. How can you claim to be the party of life when your policies kill women and children?
To women and children: Keep fighting. That is all.
Kadin Collier is a freshman Arabic and international studies double major from Hattiesburg, Miss.
Editor’s Note: A previously published version of this article listed the name of the act as the “Conception Begins at Erection Act.” It has since been changed to list the correct name, the “Contraception Begins at Erection Act.”
