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A Kentucky lawmaker has proposed a bill to require men to have permission from their wives before getting erectile dysfunction drugs. This file photo shows painkillers, not erectile dysfunction drugs.

(SUE OGROCKI/The Associated Press)

A bill filed in Kentucky on Thursday would require men wishing to obtain a prescription for erectile dysfunction drugs to first visit a doctor and have signed permission from their spouse, among other provisions.

The bill, sponsored by Louisville Democrat Rep. Mary Lou Marzian, specifies that only married men may obtain erectile dysfunction drugs, according to the Courier-Journal. Before getting a prescription, men would be required to visit a doctor twice and make a sworn statement, with their hand on the Bible, that the drug would only be used for sexual relations with a spouse.

The bill is intended to make sure men are informed about the drug and its side effects, but was also proposed as a response to current anti-abortion measures, the Courier-Journal reported. A Kentucky bill signed into law earlier this month requires a woman seeking an abortion receive counseling 24 hours in advance of the procedure.

Read the bill online here.

Marzian told the Courier-Journal that the bill may not get far, but will make a point about male legislators interjecting into issues of women's health.

--Laura Frazier

lfrazier@oregonian.com

503-294-4035

@frazier_laura