Louisiana State Rep. Delisha Boyd Sponsors Vasectomy Bill That Would Disproportionately Affect African-American Men

Louisiana HB 166, introduced by Rep. Delisha Boyd (D-New Orleans), would apply to all sex offenses including misdemeanors and those committed by minors.

BOYNTON BEACH, FL, UNITED STATES, April 22, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In a move that has left civil rights and racial justice advocacy groups appalled, shocked, and scratching their heads, Delisha Boyd, a Democrat who represents part of New Orleans in the Louisiana House of Representatives, has introduced a bill that would require persons convicted of certain offenses to undergo forced vasectomies.

Louisiana House Bill 166 (known as HB 166), introduced by Rep. Delisha Boyd on February 26, 2024, would require all persons convicted of any sex offense in the state of Louisiana to undergo a forced vasectomy, resulting in irreversible, lifelong sterilization. According to the text of the bill, a forced vasectomy would become part of the criminal punishment of any offense requiring registration as a sex offender in Louisiana, regardless of its severity or whether there was an actual victim. The bill has already been approved by Louisiana’s House of Representatives and is headed for consideration in the Louisiana State Senate.

The Florida Action Committee (FAC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to evidence-based legislation to enhance public safety, has condemned Rep. Boyd and her forced vasectomy bill. FAC President Gail Colletta has described Boyd’s bill as “state-sanctioned eugenics.” Colletta has pointed to a number of aspects of the bill which she has characterized as extremely disturbing and unconscionable. According to Colletta, the bill, if enacted into law, would violate the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, as it would mandate forced mutilation resulting in a permanent loss of an important bodily function as a form of criminal punishment.

Colletta also warned that Boyd’s forced vasectomy bill would ultimately result in a decrease in Louisiana’s African-American population since Black men are required to register as sexual offenders at twice the rate of white men. Colletta stated that “as an elected official, Representative Boyd must surely know that black males are disproportionately represented on sex offense registries. Consequently, Louisiana HB 166 would result in state-sanctioned eugenics that would dilute the African-American population of Louisiana. Although Rep. Delisha Boyd claims to fight for the rights of the citizens of her district, which is overwhelmingly African-American, she is in fact sponsoring legislation that could ultimately ravage the African-American community.”

“Forced sterilization has an unfortunately sordid history in the United States and has often been used against African-Americans. What is most shocking about this bill is that its sponsor Delisha Boyd (D-New Orleans) is herself African-American,” Colletta further explained.

Colletta pointed out another serious problem with Rep. Delisha Boyd’s forced vasectomy bill: it would apply to all sex offenses, regardless of their severity. “Is lifelong sterilization and the permanent inability to have a family an appropriate and proportionate punishment for indecent exposure, prostitution, or an 18-year-old dating a 15-year-old while in high school, all of which will place someone on the sex offender registry in Louisiana? Apparently, Delisha Boyd thinks so,” Colletta noted.

Sarah Fiebig
Florida Action Committee (FAC)
media@floridaactioncommittee.org