Vasectomy surge in the US amid abortion ban
The US Supreme Court on June 24 decided to overturn the nearly 50-year-old Roe v. Wade ruling, which cleared the door for the rights of Americans to abortion.
Now with more U.S. states banning the medical procedure, Washington Post reported that uroligists have found a sudden spike in men getting a vasectomy.
Florida urologist Doug Stein has received more than 12 to 18 vasectomy applications per day after June 24's decision, from the usual four to five day-to-day requests.
“Many of the guys are saying that they have been thinking about a vasectomy for a while, and the Roe v. Wade decision was just that final factor that tipped them over the edge and made them submit the online registration,” Stein told the Post.
Meanwhile, New York-based urologist Marc Goldstein said that he saw twice the peak of vasectomy requests in their hospital. The last time vasectomy rates spiked in the United States was during the Great Recession in 2008.
Reports said there is also an increase in vasectomy queries in other states, including Ohio, Tennessee, Los Angeles, Missouri, Illinois, and Texas, where abortion bans have already taken place.
Vasectomy is a small operation that sterilizes a man by preventing his sperm from flowing out with semen, thus preventing pregnancy during intercourse. Men who undergo this sterile procedure have various reasons, from health concerns to deciding not to have a child.
Seattle resident Greg Thomas told BuzzFeed News that he once liked the idea of getting a vasectomy, but when the supreme court decision announced in favor of the abortion ban, he decided to have it for his partner as a health safety net who has cerebral palsy.
“I have long felt that birth control should be something penis-havers take more responsibility in, and nipping the problem in the bud seems the most logical. Even though I live in a state where abortion will still be legal, I do not want to ever put my partner in a position to risk her life, especially for something I can prevent,” Thomas said.
Meanwhile, Sam Peagler told NBC News that he had undergone a vasectomy because he and his partner are eager not to have any children in their life.
"I was comfortable in the decision that I wasn’t going to have children, and my wife was comfortable with it, as well. It was something we discussed together," said Peagler.
According to the American Urological Association, roughly 200,000 to 500,000 vasectomy operations are performed annually in the United States.