An Oklahoma state rep proposed legislation that would mandate young men get mandatory vasectomies

• Oklahoma state Rep. Mickey Dollens proposed mandatory vasectomies for boys once they hit puberty.
• Dollens, speaking before a floor of legislators on Thursday, asked GOP lawmakers to consider his proposal.

An Oklahoma state rep proposed an idea for legislation that would make vasectomies mandatory for young men in the state.

Speaking before a floor of legislators, state Rep. Mickey Dollens said on Thursday that he is thinking about introducing the legislation next year.

"I would invite you to co-author a bill that I'm considering next year that would mandate that each male, when they reach puberty, get a mandatory vasectomy that's only reversible when they reach the point of financial and emotional stability," he told GOP lawmakers.

"If you think that's crazy then I think that maybe you understand how 50 percent of Oklahomans feel, as well," the Democrat said.

—The Recount (@therecount) May 20, 2022

Dollens' remarks were made as the Oklahoma legislature debated HB 4327, a restrictive law that effectively bans abortion from the moment of "fertilization." The legislature on Thursday passed the bill, and Gov. Kevin Stitt is expected to sign it into law.

If enforced, Oklahoma's law would be one of the strictest abortion restrictions in the country.

The legislation comes as the Supreme Court weighs overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark case that legalized abortion in the United States. Politico earlier this month published a draft Supreme Court opinion signaling a reversal of Roe v. Wade. In the draft, Associate Justice Samuel Alito characterized abortion as "egregiously wrong from the start."

Abortion will remain legal in the United States until the court hands down a final verdict, which could come as early as June. But the leaked draft opinion was enough to put reproductive rights activists and doctors who perform abortions on high alert.