HARRISBURG, Pa. — State Representative Chris Rabb knows his proposal will never see the House floor. That's why he says he did it.
Rabb, a Philadelphia-area Democratic lawmaker, has proposed a bill which would require all men over the age of 40 to have a vasectomy. The proposed law would also include any men must get the procedure after the birth of their third child.
He admits the bill is "absurd, and extremely satirical." The only reason he's doing it, he says, is to highlight what he says is the double standard of bills legislating a woman's reproductive rights when it comes to abortion laws.
"It's somehow OK for the government to invade the uteruses of women and girls, but it should be off limits if you propose vasectomies or limit the reproductive rights of men," Rabb said.
He wants to generate discussion about the topic, but instead, so far, all he's received is push back from Pennsylvania Republicans.
"That's something that's done in communist China and not something we should ever consider in the United States," said Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver).
Bernstine added he wanted to see less and less of government "intruding" into people's lives. When asked if one could say the same about abortion laws, Bernstine said, "I believe abortion is murder, and there are laws against murder."
Another House Republican who has vocally announced opposition to Rabb's satire is State Representative Barb Gleim (R-Cumberland). Gleim posted on Facebook that Rabb's bill presented a "nail in the coffin" to people's "personal medical freedom." Rabb declined FOX43's request for an interview.
"There are a lot of keyboard warriors out there," Rabb said. "The real cowards are the ones who aren't prepared to speak their truth."
There's also the issue of what some are calling government waste.
Among them, government activist Eric Epstein, who says the act of introducing bills which lawmakers know will go nowhere is nothing more than grandstanding.
"Both parties are guilty of political theater. It's sad. It's stupid. It's a waste of taxpayers money," Epstein said.
A FOX43 review of the 2019-20 legislative session showed that of the 4,198 total bills introduced between the House and Senate, 3,428 bills, or 81.6 percent, never made it out of committee. Nearly every single one did not see a committee vote.
Epstein also accused Republicans of introducing bills they know Governor Tom Wolf will veto.