Might Viagra Soon Come with Counseling and a 24-Hour Waiting Period in South Carolina?

Following the lead of several other states, South Carolina may soon require men to endure a 24-hour waiting period before they can receive their Viagra prescription. At least, that is the implication behind a new bill introduced in the State House. The bill, submitted by Representative Mia McLeod, requires men to go through a 24-hour waiting period before they can pick up their prescription for Viagra or other erectile dysfunction medication from the pharmacy. It also requires that they receive counseling emphasizing celibacy as a valid life choice and that their sexual partner must provide a sworn and notarized statement that they need the medicine.

Like the many other states where this type of bill has been presented, the motivation behind it has more to do with making a point than safety. South Carolina requires women to wait for 24 hours before they may procure an abortion, and the belief that this violates the right to privacy and infringes on the woman’s right to choose has motivated lawmakers like McLeod to take the drastic step of drafting a law to point out the hypocrisy of the majority.

Arguments for and against abortion counseling and a waiting period may be made, with each side making valid points. For the predominately Republican and conservative side which is in the majority in the states implementing these measure, saving lives is the goal, and not just potentially saving the unborn. They believe that allowing for a cooling off period, in which the woman may have time to mentally and physically prepare for the procedure, as well as have the opportunity to truly make a balanced and thoughtful decision about going forward with the procedure, could save her life as well.

On the opposite side of the aisle, those who support choice in every instance argue that delay could be detrimental to the woman’s health and that any type of interference with the woman’s right to choose for herself is a violation of the right to privacy.

Abortion Law in the Palmetto State

South Carolina has enacted some of the strictest abortion laws in the country, including many that restrict the insurance coverage of abortion procedure only to cases that involve incest, rape, or that endanger the life of the mother. Minors must have parental consent before they can obtain an abortion. The counseling and waiting period restriction went into effect on December 1, 2015, and it states that a woman interested in procuring an abortion must receive state-directed counseling and wait for 24-hours before having the procedure. The counseling must be balanced, meaning that information that is intended to discourage her from having the abortion at all must be presented alongside pro-abortion advice.

Breaking Down the “Viagra Bill”

When the bill was introduced last year, McLeod stated that she wanted it to be as “invasive, as intrusive, as hypocritical and unnecessary” as possible. When you look at the contents of the bill, you can understand how men would feel inconvenienced and embarrassed by its requirements.

According to McLeod’s bill, men in need of any erectile dysfunction drug, include Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, or any other prescription ED medication, would be required to wait for 24-hours follow the doctor’s prescribing it before they could pick it up. It also requires the men undergo sex therapy and at least three counseling sessions and be given information about celibacy. Medically, men would be required to submit to a cardiac stress test and would have to provide a notarized affidavit from a sexual partner that confirms that he has suffered from ED within the past 90 days.

In crafting the bill, McLeod was merely trying to make a point. Amazingly, though, the bill did not stall out in the South Carolina House medical subcommittee, as she assumed it would. Rather, it has advanced through that body and up to the full House Committee on Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs.

McLeod’s success has been met with ample praise from the Twitterverse, as other pro-abortion activists have celebrated her “triumph”, though some appear to see it in a different light.

A Victory for Men’s Health?

For many people responding positively to the success of McLeod’s bill, their celebration has been less about women’s rights and more about men’s health. The possibility that taking erectile dysfunction medications such as Viagra could result in cardiac incidents or another harm has led many to push for limitations and care when prescribing the drugs in hopes of preventing physical damage.

To understand how ED drugs could potentially pose a danger to some men, you need to know how they work within the body to accomplish their ultimate result. Let’s take a closer look at Viagra.

Viagra is the brand name for sildenafil, a compound that Pfizer pharmaceutical researchers initially worked with because of its promise as a possible treatment for cardiac-related conditions such as angina and hypertension. During animal testing for the medication, and later during testing on male subjects, it was discovered that sildenafil was not just improving blood flow to the heart. It was also demonstrating an ability to improve the quality and duration of erections. Pfizer dubbed the drug “Viagra” and immediately sought approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which it received in March 1998. Within two years, Viagra had taken its place in the world as the first oral ED medication available, with mote than $1 billion capsules sold worldwide.

Viagra is part of a group of drugs called PDE-5 inhibitors. Our bodies contain around 11 different types of PDE, only one of which, PDE-5, is found in the penis. Viagra works by inhibiting PDE-5 in the penis, allowing the initializing enzyme cGMP to increase, building up to levels that cause the smooth muscles cells to relax and blood flow to increase, making It easier to achieve an erection when sexually stimulated, and to maintaining that erection.

Viagra is a vasodilator, a drug which causes the blood vessel walls to relax, increasing blood flow. Though Viagra targets the blood flow in a very particular part of the body, it has been found to affect other areas of the body as well, which could create difficulties for people with certain medical conditions, especially cardiac issues. Care needs to be taken when prescribing Viagra or similar vasodilators so that they do not conflict with medications such as nitroglycerin.

With these rare but serious side effects and contraindications in mind, the idea of requiring counseling, a waiting period, and further testing including a cardiac stress test could seem reasonable. Perhaps this is, in part, why the bill has continued to advance through the South Carolina House.

As South Carolina moves ahead with their “Viagra Bill”, other states may soon join them, with legislators putting forward bills that require similar waiting periods and restrictions. Whether the issue is defending a woman’s right to choose or improving safety for men who suffer from Erectile Dysfunction, these bills will continue to raise the awareness, and ire, of people across the country.

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