Want Viagra? Get a Note From Your Wife, Kentucky Lawmaker Says

In a bid apparently meant to turn the tables on male lawmakers for interfering in women’s health decisions, a Kentucky state representative introduced a bill last week requiring men to have a note from their wives before getting a prescription for erectile dysfunction drugs.

Mary Lou Marzian, a Louisville Democrat, told the Louisville Courier-Journal that she wants to make sure men are aware of potentially dangerous side effects of the drugs, such as Viagra. The bill also requires men to visit a doctor twice and mandates that only married men can obtain the drug.

“I want to protect these men from themselves,” she said. “This is about family values.”

But Marzian also said the bill is a response to Kentucky’s anti-abortion legislation, including a law enacted last week that requires a woman to get counseling in person or through live telecommunications 24 hours before an abortion. Marzian said she also plans to introduce a bill requiring gun-buyers to get counseling from victims of gun violence 24 hours before the purchase.

[Louisville Courier-Journal]