A South Carolina lawmaker wants to give male legislators a taste of their own medicine, by introducing a bill intended to show men what it's like to have their reproductive rights meddled with.

The bill would require men seeking Viagra, Cialis, or any other erectile dysfunction medication to go through the same hoops women must endure when seeking an abortion, like a 24-hour waiting period and counseling sessions, "including sexual counseling and resources for patients to pursue celibacy as a viable lifestyle choice."

Other requirements include a note from at least one sexual partner confirming that the patient has experienced ED symptoms, and submitting to an exam by a state-licensed sex therapist, to make sure the ED isn't attributable to "other psychological factors."

The bill is being introduced by South Carolina state Rep. Mia McLeod (D-Columbia), who said, "I purposely tried to make it as invasive, as intrusive, as hypocritical and unnecessary as possible to make the point." McLeod doesn't expect the bill to get any traction, but hopes her point is taken by her male colleagues.

This isn't the first time a legislator has proposed such a bill. In 2012, two Ohio lawmakers, state Sen. Nina Turner and state Rep. Ted Celeste, introduced similar bills aimed at restricting men's access to Viagra to highlight inequities in reproductive rights. Celeste's bill, in fact, went even further, requiring men to get rectal prostate exams.

McLeod's bill is relatively lenient by comparison, requiring the fellas to just take a seat and chill, rather than bend over.

As anyone who manages a website can tell you, being hacked is one of the worst things. It's annoying, costs time and money to fix, and damages your reputation. Frequently, such hacks make it appear that your site is selling erectile dysfunction drugs, which just adds insult to injury for most people.

Normally, we abhor such hackers for giving a bad name to legitimate online pharmacies or informational sites like ours. But in a rare role-reversal, the Viagra hackers are now the good guys, and they chose a target that couldn't be more worthy: ISIS.

Following the devastating terrorist attacks on Paris, the hack-tivist group Anonymous released a video putting ISIS on notice that the organization was now in their cyber-sabotage sights.

They were quick to make good on their threat, as Ghost Sec, an Anonymous-affiliated group, hacked an ISIS website and turned it into a temporary Viagra pharmacy. Instead of promoting jihad against Western depravity, the site encouraged visitors to chill out and buy some happy pills as an antidote to "Too much ISIS."

The usual propaganda was replaced with a message to "Enhance your calm," along with an ad linking to a pharmacy where visitors could purchase Viagra and Prozac with bitcoin. "Please gaze upon this lovely ad," the message continued, "so we can upgrade our infrastructure to give you ISIS content you all so desperately crave."

Although in the grand scheme, the hack is a minor setback for ISIS, it serves to make the jihadists look ridiculous, and controverts the tech-savvy image they try to project.

While we certainly don't condone website hacking in general, we applaud Anonymous for finding a creative way to say "Make love, not war."

Lamar Odom's recent near-fatal brothel misadventure has brought herbal "male enhancement" products under new scrutiny, and now New York state Senators Jose Peralta and Jeff Klein are calling for a ban on these so-called herbal Viagra supplements commonly sold in convenience stores, in a crackdown similar to the one a few years ago that was directed at  "bath salts."

Because the pills are labelled as "dietary supplements" and their ingredient lists include herbs and seemingly innocuous substances like caffeine, consumers may get the impression that the products are safe. In reality, the pills are manufactured in countries where there is little or no oversight of production. FDA tests have discovered actual pharmaceuticals in these over-the-counter products, including dapoxetine (Priligy), sildenafil (Viagra), and tadalafil (Cialis).

"I am not here to ruin a party or to spoil anyone's fun," said Senator Peralta. "But, in a vast majority of cases, the true contents of these products are unknown to consumers, making their use very unsafe. The inherent danger is real."

Senator Klein says the ban is necessary because the FDA has not taken aggressive enough action. Of Odom's case, which involved a supplement called Reload, he said: "This incident raises serious concerns about FDA enforcement of prescription drugs. The FDA knew that Reload and other 'herbal supplements' like it on the market contain the active ingredient used in Viagra, but only issued public notifications instead of recalling the products from shelves."

The sales ban would have consequences for businesses such as mini-markets, corner stores, and gas stations that typically sell packets of the pills at the counter. Local law agencies would be responsible for enforcement, violators would be fined, and after three violations, would have their license to sell alcohol, cigarettes, and lottery tickets revoked. The legislation would apparently not affect online retailers.

News came Tuesday night of former NBA champ Lamar Odom's hospitalization after being found unresponsive in a Nevada brothel. Odom is still unconscious and in critical condition, and his chances for recovery seem tenuous.

According to those at the scene, Odom had used some recreational drugs during his stay at the brothel, including cocaine, and had taken at least 10 capsules of an "herbal supplement" that was sold at the establishment.

The supplement in question is a male "performance enhancer" called Reload, and it's on the FDA's hit list as a dangerous product. The ingredients listed on Reload's packaging include various herbs, such as gotu kola and tribulus terrestris. However, laboratory analysis has shown that the capsules actually contain some sildenafil. Yes--it's not just herbal Viagra, it's real Viagra. Maybe that's why the packaging also included a warning not to use the supplement with nitrates (which are also contraindicated with Viagra use).

Tabloid sources have reported that Odom had "every drug imaginable" in his system, and the cocaine use is confirmed, so it's unclear whether the supplement had a significant impact on his condition. However, if it did contain sildenafil, it could have interacted with other drugs to cause or complicate a bad reaction.

The incident may bring attention to the hazards of unregulated "herbal Viagra" supplements, which could contain real pharmaceuticals.

Here's a cautionary tale that shows you one reason it's wise not to mix alcohol with Viagra: Daniel Medforth, a 26-year-old U.K. man who was joking around with some drinking buddies, found himself in a world of hurt after downing 35 Viagra pills within an hour.

Wow, what a way to ruin date night. Imagine getting stopped, searched, and cuffed, all for the heinous crime of having a single Viagra pill on your person.

There's been a lot of guffawing (and cringing) on the web the last few days about a Reddit user who posted his tale of a recent medical misadventure: He injected an ED drug into his penis, got a prolonged and painful erection, and had to seek attention at an emergency room.

Asia has caught up with or is surpassing the West in many arenas -- like technology and trade -- but, according to some, the East still lags on a surprising front: the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

In a recent article, NewsAsia quoted the Director of the Male Sexual and Reproductive Medicine Program at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, saying that the region "lagged behind by about a decade" in the treatment of ED compared to most developed countries.

Really? Or does the region just lag by a decade in Viagra sales -- because it seems like that may be how they're quantifying this claim.

The article cited cultural reasons for the ED divide: erectile dysfunction is still seen in some cultures as a sign of personal failure or weakness, and men are reluctant to discuss it with partners or doctors out of shame.

Maybe we should take this assessment with a grain of salt, given that it's coming from a Western doctor seated in front of backdrop covered with Pfizer logos.

Chances are, Asian men are seeking out treatments -- not the kind that come in prescription pill bottles, but the kind that have been used for hundreds of years nonetheless.

Asian men might also be more comfortable discussion their performance issues with an herbalist or traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner as opposed to a Western physician.

While the urology expert emphasized that it's time to start regarding ED as a health issue, rather than a performance or quality of life issue, that's exactly the stance that TCM has taken: ED is seen as a symptom of chi deficiency, usually from the kidneys, and is treated holistically.

According to TCM specialist Doctor He Yumin, "TCM remedies [for yang wei] have existed for centuries. And barring extreme cases, [it] can be easily remedied."

TCM treatments to boost libido include herbs such as ginseng, reishi mushrooms, and more exotic items like deer antler and ox, goat, and tiger penis (the last one is discouraged because it has led to poaching and the decline of endangered animals). Contrary to popular belief, rhinoceros horn is not prescribed as an aphrodisiac (it's used to treat fever, rheumatism, and other illnesses).

Dr. He also emphasizes the need to maintain a healthy lifestyle, reducing stress, eating a balanced diet, and so on.

And...perhaps this is where Viagra needs to step in. Because a greater portion of the Asian population now leads a Westernized lifestyle -- complete with its stresses and dietary pitfalls -- TCM treatments may prove less effective or viable.

Who knows, maybe in another 10 years the Pfizer/Viagra logo will be displayed as a status symbol in Singapore.

In an effort to perk up sagging sales, Pfizer has debuted a new packaging format for Viagra: the single-pill packet. Call it the "Fun Size" version of our favorite pharmaceutical. 

This last week we've seen a good object lesson in that scientific adage: Correlation does not equal causation.