this post was submitted on 12 Feb 2025
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Faced with relentless Republican attacks on reproductive freedom including efforts to give embryos and fetuses legal rights from the moment of conception, Democratic lawmakers in two states have recently introduced legislation that would ban men from ejaculating for purposes other than making babies, with some exceptions.

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[–] glorkon 8 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

When I have to see news like this on my computer screen, I just sit here shaking my fist.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 hours ago

This comment wins. Game over.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 13 hours ago

Bullshit. Contraception begins at impure thoughts!

[–] kerrigan778 1 points 10 hours ago

The grift is real, they do not care.

[–] FlashMobOfOne 114 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The last thing Dems should be doing right now is performative bullshit.

[–] Dozzi92 13 points 15 hours ago

That's the dem playbook though. Gotta keep chugging!

[–] schema 56 points 1 day ago

Yep. If I learned anything in the last 15 years, it's that conservatives do not care about hypocrisy. As long as their team wins, it doesn't matter to them at all how they won.

[–] knightmare1147 125 points 1 day ago (4 children)

What does this serve other than performative at best and worryingly close to mimicking the actual bigoted actions that are taking place right now? Please, I need to see some outreach to communities that are hurting, not 'gotcha' moments that do nothing but circle the drain.

[–] themeatbridge 62 points 1 day ago

Sometimes you need a "gotcha" moment to make headlines and hopefully reacha few people who are so delusional they think prohibiting abortion is in any way related to saving lives.

They can donthe outreach to, it just doesn't garner media attention. That's not to say they're doing it. They are Democrats, after all. Ineffective and performative are on-brand.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 day ago

performative at best and worryingly close to mimicking the actual bigoted actions that are taking place

You just summed up everything the Dem leadership ever does to #Resist 😮‍💨

[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

this is literally outreach to those communities by applying the same absurd standards that are being applied to the current victims to the oppressors.

This is a valid and effective proposal to counter the reproductive rights recently stolen from women.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Nah, this is performative nonsense to grab some headlines and say, "See, we're doing stuff," that doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of actually passing and changing peoples' lives. Meanwhile, the Republicans are running roughshod all over the Democrats on things that actually have pretty immediate, overwhelmingly negative impacts on peoples' lives, like the shitshow that is DOGE, and the Democrats are just angrily wagging their collective finger and going, "Why, Mr. President, if you don't knock that off, I'm going to really get cross with you. I daresay, I may even use uncouth language in reference to your person, despite the esteemed office you occupy!" They aren't even making token efforts at trying to derail any of his cabinet picks and get some GOP defectors to help block them.

They've tried nothing and thrown up their hands, so now it's time to draw out the tried and true playbook of looking as incompetent and out of touch at a key moment in history as they can possibly manage to do, short of outright switching party membership and taking up the GOP mantle themselves.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

restricting people's bodily autonomy and healthcare so that they are dying in the streets of the US is not "performative nonsense".

there was US legislation passed by extremists that restricts civil liberties and takes away the rights of women in the United States, and women are dying and becoming extremely ill as a result.

If women's rights are restricted in that country, then so should be the men's.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

restricting people’s bodily autonomy and healthcare so that they are dying in the streets of the US is not “performative nonsense”.

That's not what I said, and you know it. Republicans implemented a concrete policy, with dire real world consequences. These proposed bills are dead before they've even finished drafting them, and accomplish nothing beyond creating a moment of tone-deaf political theater so that people who already agree with them can pat themselves on the back.

This does nothing to undo the harms of Republican anti-abortion laws, it doesn't prevent any of those women from dying, it's performative bullshit preaching to the choir. This isn't going to make Republicans suddenly go, "Gee, I never thought of it like that," it's just to get brownie points in liberal circles.

They could have, I don't know, removed the filibuster and expand the Supreme Court to prevent Republicans from doing exactly what they said they wanted to do the last time around, but that's a step too far for the Democrats. I mean, it could have put the matter to rest definitively enough until they had a legislative majority that would let them codify abortion rights, but heavens forbid they kill off one of their great fundraising cash cows and lose the ability to campaign on "If you don't vote Democrat, the Republicans are going to undo Roe v. Wade!" This is another blunder like Hillary's pied piper strategy that came back to bite them when Republicans did the thing Democrats thought couldn't seriously happen.

If women’s rights are restricted in that country, then so should be the men’s.

Two wrongs don't make a right, and even if they did, you and I both know these bills have a 0% chance of actually passing and changing anything.

This is a valid and effective proposal to counter the reproductive rights recently stolen from women.

Since you're so sure this isn't purely performative, but a valid and effective counter, would you care to quantify that efficacy for me? How many of these bills need to be proposed and die before they even hit the floor to win over enough Republicans? How many until women who lost their reproductive rights actually see them restored? Until women stop dying from being denied basic healthcare? I'm not expecting an exact number, but surely, you could give me a ballpark estimate and a timeline for these efforts to start producing results, as confident as you are in this strategy.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

"That's not what I said"

That's literally what you said, that restricting bodily autonomy through legislation was a performance piece.

If the religious extremists are going to restrict women's civil rights and bodily autonomy, the rational lawmakers should also be restricting men's civil rights and bodily autonomy.

this is a very practical solution.

"Two wrongs don't make a right"

that isn't what's happening.

they are fighting fire with fire.

they are backburning to stop the wildfire destroying civil rights because of religious extremists and oligarchs that have been elected or appointed.

"Since you're so sure this isn't purely performative"

it isn't. this legislation prohibiting female bodily autonomy already happened.

raped children are being forced to keep their rape babies.

women are dying in the parking. lots of hospitals.

they are being bounty hunted for seeking medical care.

That's not performative. those are real life effects of these people. you want to allow to steal civil rights, including basic human dignity.

shame on you.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

You might want to work on your reading comprehension, as that is not at all what I said. Let me spell it out loud and clear for you. Republicans already did a terrible thing removing women's right to autonomy over their own bodies. Several Democratic Senators proposed bills that would impose restrictions broadly within the same category that would impact men, rather than women, if they were to pass, but have literally none of the dire consequences women face from the Republican actions. These proposed bills have literally zero chance of passing into law, and thus will not have any effect. Now, then.

this is a very practical solution.

Let's pull up the old Cambridge dictionary for that pesky word I've bolded.

relating to experience, real situations, or actions rather than ideas or imagination

Now, since these aren't going to pass into law, and thus have no binding effect on reality, how exactly is this a practical solution.

it isn’t. this legislation prohibiting female bodily autonomy already happened. raped children are being forced to keep their rape babies. women are dying in the parking. lots of hospitals. they are being bounty hunted for seeking medical care. That’s not performative. those are real life effects of these people. you want to allow to steal civil rights, including basic human dignity.

Uh, I don't know how to break it to you, but those are all the consequences of the Republican policy that have already taken effect, and these laws don't propose to undo any of them. Once more, they don't even level the field of oppression, since they aren't going to pass, and the people writing them know this.

A practical solution would have been addressing the filibuster and expanding the Supreme Court to prevent the conservative-packed court from doing exactly what they did. Or actually codifying the protections obtained from the Roe v. Wade decision in law at any point in the 50+ years since the ruling was initially made. Either one of those would have actually prevented this situation.

You have yet to articulate in any way how proposing laws that these legislators know will not be passed will do literally anything aside from generate some media coverage. Unless you can do so, there's no point in engaging with you any further. I don't know if you're just a troll, or if you really believe this will actually provoke any real change, as you refuse to explain why you believe this to be a practical solution that will bear fruit, either by correcting the wrongs done to women in this country or by making men face vaguely similar (but not really, kind of hard to equate dying painfully and unnecessarily from being denied healthcare with a $10,000 fine) consequences, in spite of all evidence indicating otherwise.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

I mean, interesting strategy to just agree with most everything I said in your third comment but pretend you aren't agreeing with me.

I'm glad you've come around, though.

The only thing left you need to understand is that because of the legislation that you now agree is hurting women, it is fair to pass legislation that also hurts men in the same way.

equality.

you got that?

it seems like you want to talk about coulda woulda shouldas instead of actually addressing the problems, while addressing the problems is a much more effective method of democratic management.

Yes, if and maybes are fun for you, but the legislation proposed here is a practical response to the targeted, harmful legislation already passed.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

You keep saying this is a practical response, but won't say how, so I'm done with you. You're the one talking in hypotheticals here, as if bills with no chance of getting passed are actually going to accomplish something. You just keep repeating the same statement about these bills, with zero factual basis.

Good luck out there, because it sure seems like nothing is getting through to you, and I see you talking in the same circles with others now that I've looked around the thread more.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 10 hours ago

I have said how it is a practical response in every single comment, you are failing to comprehend what I'm saying.

legislation has been passed in the US that is harming women and taking away their bodily autonomy.

The same legislation should be passed for men as well.

this legislation has a "factual basis", despite your believies, and is killing women right now.

your contention that doing nothing is better than fighting back. that is cowardly and foolish. sticking your head in the sand isn't going to help here.

you claim this is ineffectual, while your proposed solution Is to do nothing", and facilitate the process of religious extremists passibg legislation targeting and harming vulnerable populations.

that is your path.

disgusting, to me.

so I'll continue to set you straight.

[–] anon6789 15 points 1 day ago

I'm with you on this stuff. Leave this stuff to The Daily Show correspondents. This is as serious as the Red, White, and Blue Land proposal.

If I'm looking for who I'm voting for and saw:

  1. Tried but failed to get school breakfast refunded.

  2. Tried to troll Republicans with the Ant-Whacking bill.

Number 1 may have also failed to accomplish anything, but they spent their time in office at least attempting to do what they were elected to do.

This stuff feels like lame Ron/Rand Paul crap trying to make worthless votes look like they're actually principles. If this is the best use of time they can find, we're in trouble. They need to be out figuring out why they lost to literal criminals, not coming up with ways to "slam" them and doing their version of Steven Miller's searching out obscure old regulation to impede the burning of our rights and protections.

[–] CarbonatedPastaSauce 62 points 1 day ago (2 children)

This is how they are resisting? We are so fucked.

[–] warbond 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Feels pretty fitting that lawmakers are using their powers to protest. I wish they would be generally more vocal, but maybe I'm just insulated by my surroundings. What kinds of resistance were you hoping to see?

[–] CarbonatedPastaSauce 3 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Something that actually makes a difference.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Maybe if people actually gave them power by voting they could do something.

I really don't understand what Anyone is expecting.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

Maybe if people actually gave them power by voting they could do something.

We did that in 2020.

[–] sir_pronoun 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I hope some babies are being produced in that fucking that's happening to you, otherwise.. 🔗🚓

[–] A_A 23 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Meanwhile in the same state, conservative are still on the offensive :

Despite this, anti-abortion advocates like Beigel are trying to reverse it. He is the president of End Abortion Ohio.

He said that in the coming weeks, lawmakers will introduce a new bill to criminalize abortion totally.
https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/02/10/ohio-democratic-lawmakers-propose-contraception-begins-at-erection-act/

USA needs so much more than this funny way to oppose Nazis, yet, humor is a good tool not to be neglected.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] ThePantser 17 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I've committed this crime 3 times today already. My body my choice.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 hours ago

In before waiting for the rookie numbers comment to drop.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 12 hours ago

You've only committed it 3 times? I've committed it probably 5 times if not more.

[–] garbagebagel 3 points 17 hours ago

Your body, my choice. I'm gonna send you pictures of nekked grammas to prevent any more crime being done.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 day ago

we aren't far enough from kellogg to propose this without too many people nodding along and agreeing with the premise (or at least that expelling sperm without trying to have kids is bad).

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Fucking democrats.

Replace them. Vote left.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 19 hours ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 12 hours ago

Lol wut. You mean there's no plutocrats in the left? Because the people are definitely left. And we have left candidates too.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

And remember kids, If you have a sexy dream you're a criminal!

[–] winkly 10 points 1 day ago

Women should hide themselves to prevent erections

/s

[–] cmoney 2 points 1 day ago

Actually a good idea! Too bad ~~Republicans~~ Nazis lack the ability to think critically or independently.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 19 hours ago

This bill actually makes sense lol. If you want to have sex with someone, at least have the decency to use a condom and not put your partner at unnecessary risk just because you are lazy.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 day ago

I read a few mangas about this on certain sites...