Vasectomy: The US men embracing permanent birth control

[brooklynite]

BBC

On a Friday in January, Lyon Lenk will go to his urologist’s office in Kansas City, Missouri, US. He’ll be given a local anaesthetic, and the doctor will cut a tiny incision in Lenk’s scrotum, locate his vas deferens – the tube that carries sperm through the penis – cut it, and seal the ends. The incision will be closed, and Lenk will go home, take some over-the-counter painkillers and as long as there are no complications, be free from discomfort within a week or so.

Lenk, 35, and his partner have no children, and want to keep it that way. When the United States Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization that there is no constitutional right to an abortion – overturning Roe v Wade, the decision that protected abortion rights since 1973 – he scheduled a vasectomy.

“I think like a lot of people in my situation, this is something that we were probably on the fence about before Roe v Wade got overturned,” says Lenk. “But this is the only option to keep my partner safe at this juncture, because I live in Missouri. And Missouri had one of the ‘trigger laws’ that went into effect, [criminalising abortion] right as it got overturned. It just got really scary and really real all at once.”

More young men are inquiring about and getting vasectomies. It’s a trend that’s been observed informally in several countries, and has particularly spiked in the United States since the Supreme Court’s decision. Google Trends tracked a huge uptick in US searches for 'vasectomy', along with the related search terms “Roe” and “abortion”; search volume was even higher in places with trigger laws. A report from telehealth research company Innerbody Research showed searches for “where can I get a vasectomy” increased by 850% in the days after the news, with the biggest jumps in conservative states Texas and Florida. One practice in Florida told CBS News that the number of child-free men getting vasectomies under the age of 30 had doubled since the ruling. Urologists in New York, California, Iowa and elsewhere have reported similar upticks.

[Sympthsical]

1. I'm so glad I'm gay

[Hortensis]

7. :)

[multigraincracker]

2. Had mine done about 15 years ago at Planned Parenthood.

There are some side affects you won't be told about. You might check those out first. Not life or death issues, but there are some to be aware of. I would do it again.

[SoBlueInFL]

3. Samuel Alito's ascent to the Supreme Court was all the incentive my husband needed r/o

to get his vasectomy. He made the appointment that day and informed me that we were not taking chances with that ass on the court.

Childfree by choice and never a single regret!

[Jerry2144]

4. I had it done about 16 years ago

Went to a lower cost place since my insurance sucked. It wasn’t that good. The worst part was the doctor made me wear a plastic cone around my neck. But the scratches behind my ears helped. I guess they were veteran doctors since the sign said Vet Clinic.


It really wasn’t that bad. Maybe a week of discomfort, then follow up appointment to ensure I was shooting blanks.

[Timeflyer]

5. It should be decision between a man, his doctor and any local women who want to chime in.

[TheRealNorth]

6. Lol

But honestly, I think the Magats sees this as a good thing if Democratic males get a vasectomy. So this seems more like a self-own to me.

[Hortensis]

9. I don't think Roe's reversal means MAGA men are fine with

the possibility of supporting one or more children born from it. And different mothers mean more households to support.

Do you REALLY think more conservative men aren't also considering vasectomy, now that depending on the women to protect them from decades of debt and regret has become signficantly less dependable?

[TheRealNorth]

12. Some of the MAGAT jackasses I used to know....

Bragged about the girls they knocked up. Republicans here in the Midwest have been railing against child support (or at least, the amount of child support). tie into this the crazy Christian Quiverfull ideology.....

I mean, it's ultimately up to the guy. (At least for now). But I don't think bragging about Democratic men getting vasectomies is going to move Republicans.

[Hortensis]

13. :) I think it's up to modern paternity testing (quick and nearly 100%

accurate!), and well as the increasing impossibility of hiding from government or private pursuit, and, not least, the changing needs and attitudes of society.

I believe the white Christian nationalist leaders fully expect to offset some of the labor effects of their anti-immigration policies by increasing the domestic birth rate; to their minds the costs of raising those "additional" workers should be borne by their parents, and it's also of course virtuously desirable that the screwups marry and form good Christian families. Any quashing effect on unmarried sex is also all to the good. Just ask Pence and Mother.

It seems very unlikely that men who see themselves belonging to the ruling classes of an authoritarian state would identify with the plight of the working class males expected to produce the additional workers, or have any intention of helping pay to raise them.

It's unfortunate when any jackasses reproduce, but if this were to continue to play out, eliminating the abortion safety net that protected MEN (not just women!), combined with inevitably increased pressure by governments to have fathers pay for their mistakes (in more ways than one!), would have a very chilling effect on jackass braggadocio. And no doubt already is. Liberal and conservative jackasses alike.

[Hortensis]

8. :) Amen to that!

[mike_c]

10. got mine 40 years ago

One of the best decisions I've ever made.

[Another Jackalope]

11. Same here, on all counts.

Child-free, never had any desire to change that, for a number of reasons - not all of them selfish...

[Hekate]

14. My youngest brother is 65. Our dad had a vasectomy while mom was pregnant with baby bro.

It’s been around a good long while. V