By Matthew Rahn
There are two radical bills hitting both the House and Senate floor this session. These two separate bills, written by Quincy Metcalf of the Senate and Tabby Noel of the House, among other things, want to require a prescription for male condoms. These bills require a male to visit the doctor, receive an exam and pass it before they can get a prescription for condoms. Crazy, right? Why should men have to go through such a rigorous ordeal just to get a contraceptive device?
When I first read this legislation at face value, I scoffed and deemed it ridiculous. I rushed to research all the adverse effects of such legislation including the possible spike in unplanned pregnancies, rise in STDs and more. I was getting so caught up in how ludicrous it sounded that I did not see the simple fact that was lying at my feet.
I was sitting in on the discussion of Senator Metcalf’s bill when it was made clear to me that what she is doing is in fact much bigger than one might see at first glance. By way of this radical and seemingly crazy bill, Metcalf is making a much larger statement on the issues of equality women face in this state and in this country. She brings to light the very issues women face when trying to obtain birth control, and she sheds this light by asking men to do the same. She expected the surprised and shocked reaction of a mostly male Senate when she proposed this legislation. It is this reaction exactly that she hopes will cause people to examine the struggles that women face.
Senator Metcalf said that she was disappointed to see this bill lose ground in the Senate and receive only a handful of supporting votes.
“I wish they had passed it, just so that the real legislature would have seen it, said ‘oh my gosh, this is crazy, they can’t do this to men’, and then to realize … we do this to women every day.”
This bill is exactly the type of legislation that makes OIL great. There is no better place than our state capital to be an advocate of change; change that creates equality and justice for the citizens of Oklahoma. Metcalf’s witty and intelligent satire drives home the point that women still face serious issues of equality in our society. I am in part disappointed in myself for judging this bill so quickly, but am entirely joyful to have had my eyes opened to a real issue that deserves a voice.