Kentucky lawmaker's bill would require men to get wife's permission for Viagra

A Kentucky lawmaker has put forward a bill that would require men to visit a doctor at least twice and obtain a signed permission slip from their wives before they could obtain a prescription for the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra.

State Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, a Democrat, acknowledged to the Louisville Courier-Journal that the bill has no chance of passing. However, she said the bill was a response to several anti-abortion measures, including a recently ratified law that requires a woman seeking an abortion to get counseling at least 24 hours in advance from a health professional.

In an opinion piece, Marzian said her bill is meant to "illustrate the absurdity of government encroachment into women's personal and medical decisions currently running amok in the Kentucky General Assembly and [Gov. Matt] Bevin administration."

Marzian's bill specifies that only married men can obtain Viagra and a prospective patient must "make a sworn statement with his hand on a Bible that he will only use a prescription for a drug for erectile dysfunction when having sexual relations with his current spouse."

Other state lawmakers have filed similar bills to make political points. In 2012, a bill from an Ohio state senator required men to get a psychological evaluation before getting a Viagra prescription and last year a South Carolina state representative filed a bill that would require men to wait 24 hours before getting a prescription.

Marzian has also said she would file a bill requiring potential gun buyers to undergo counseling from victims of gun violence 24 hours in advance of the purchase.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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