Politics & Government

Anti-Vasectomy Act Causes Controversy

The bill's author, Rep. Yasmin Neal (D-Jonesboro): "It is patently unfair that men can avoid unwanted fatherhood by presuming that their judgment over such matters is more valid than the judgment of the General Assembly."

Georgia House and Senate legislators will hold a public hearing Wednesday to call attention to the double standard on reproductive rights by introducing the Anti-Vasectomy Act.

The act was inspired, in part, by Athens Democrat-turned-Republican state Rep. Doug McKillip's abortion legislation H.B. 954, which attacks women's reproductive rights, according to House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams.

"It is the obligation of the General Assembly to assert an equally invasive state interest in the reproductive habits of men and substitute the will of the government over the will of adult men," Abrams said.

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Should vasectomies be regulated by the General Assembly the same way abortion is? Share your comments and vote in the poll below.

Rep. Yasmin Neal (D-Jonesboro), author of the Anti-Vasectomy Act, said thousands of children are deprived of birth in Georgia every year because of the lack of state regulation over vasectomies.

The public hearing is Wednesday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Coverdell Legislative Office Building's Room 515 at 18 Capitol Square.

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You can email Rep. John Carson to express your views concerning this issue, or call 404-656-5087.

You also can contact Cobb legislators through the Cobb Legislative Delegation.


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