Sen. Larry Farnese wants to probe men seeking treatment for ED

In a political tit-for-tat, State Sen. Larry Farnese announced he will introduce a bill forcing men to undergo invasive medical testing in response to a Republican-sponsored bill that some say would alienate the rights of women.

House Bill 1077 would require women, under certain circumstances, to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound 24 hours before having an abortion to check the size of the fetus. The proposal has met staunch opposition from female voters, according to Gov. Tom Corbett’s latest approval rating.

“No woman should be forced to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound if they don’t want or need the test,” Farnese, D-Philadelphia, said in a statement. “But for some reason the Republicans in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives think that their degrading legislation is the right thing for female patients who are rightfully accessing their protected health services.”

In response, Farnese’s bill would require men seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction to receive a full prostate exam and undergo a cardiac stress test, get a signed affidavit from a sexual partner stating that the patient has ED, participate in sex therapy and watch a video detailing the side effects of ED medication.

Farnese said his bill is “to show that this effort is ridiculous and that we should be protecting and expanding, not watering down, health services for women.”

Farnese’s “statement” legislation is virtually identical to a bill introduced earlier this month by Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, D-Cleveland. Turner has also opposed efforts to restrict abortion and contraception for women.