Want Viagra? Assume the position, fellas.

Devilishly brilliant. Too bad it got shot down.

    To protest a bill that would require women to undergo an ultrasound before having an abortion, Virginia State Sen. Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) on Monday attached an amendment that would require men to have a rectal exam and a cardiac stress test before obtaining a prescription for erectile dysfunction medication.

"Erectile dysfuction medication", obviously, would mean drugs such as Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra.

Many of us have noted in the past that it is maddening that Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra are covered my most insurance plans, while women's reproductive health needs: less so.

More about this legislation that would have used Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra to level the playing field on the jump.

Many of us have noted in the past that it is maddening that Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra are covered my most insurance plans, while women's reproductive health needs: less so.

    Piling on to the conservative apoplexia over the Obama administration’s recent ruling that insurance companies should cover birth control without co-pays, Fox News host Sean Hannity slammed the policy last night for encouraging “screwing around,”but defended coverage of Viagra. Taking a bold stance again reason, Hannity said, “I don’t care about the scientists” who recommended the move and insisted that the birth control is “not a women’s health issue.” Asked how he felt about insurance companies covering male enhancement medication, Hannity strongly defended the practice, saying, “That is a medical problem!”

Presumably, Hannity not only meant Viagra, but also Cialis and Levitra.

Anyway.

Basically, what Senator Howell tried to do here was enlarge and enhance the scope of the bill to send a message to the male-dominated mindset that, in her words,

    "...will require a woman to have totally unnecessary medical procedure at their cost and inconvenience. If we're going to do that to women, why not do that to men?"

I find that very difficult to disagree with. Unfortunately and predictably, the amendment that would have made a rectal examination and cardiac stress test for men to obtain a prescription for Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra was defeated in the Virginia State Senate by a vote of 21-19.

    She pointed out that there are only seven women in the Virginia senate, and six of them voted in favor of her amendment, along with 13 male senators. Sen. Jill Vogel (R-Fauquier County), the sponsor of the mandatory ultrasound bill, voted against it.

So presumably, those male senators who voted against the enhancement and enlargement of the scope of the bill will, like Sean Hannity, not stand for anything coming between them and their Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra.

That, or they're experiencing inner turmoil brought on by their last prostate exam.

    “I do believe that erectile dysfunction in this context is different from pregnancy,” she said on the senate floor.

Well. I certainly cannot imagine anyone disputing THAT.

What I have not been able to determine is what effect this bill would have on the online sales of Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra. As any user of the internet is aware, Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra are commonly marketed on the internet. Some sites are legitimate, while others have been known to sell fraudulent and counterfeit Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra which range from the dangerously impure to outright fakes made of plaster painted blue, for example.

But I digress. This diary is not about the dangers of obtaining Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra  online. Its purpose is to agree with the good worthy senator from the Old Dominion where she asserts,

    "We need some gender equity here."

With which, I am certain,  all of us would agree.

(NOTE: Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra are trademarks of their respective manufacturers. This diary is not intended to endorse or promote Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra. If reading this diary takes more than six hours, consult your optometrist. Common side effects of Viagra include facial flushing, headaches, stomach pain, nasal congestion, nausea, diarrhea, and an inability to differentiate between the colors green and blue. Loss of hearing, ringing in the ears and dizziness may occur. The most common side effects with Cialis are: headache, indigestion, back pain, muscle aches, flushing, and stuffy or runny nose. The most common side effects with Levitra are headache, flushing, stuffy or runny nose, indigestion, upset stomach, or dizziness. Google AdSense  delivers text-based Google AdWords ads that are relevant to site content pages.)