Demand for vasectomies triples since Supreme Court abortion decision

Kieran Galpin

60-70 per cent of men cite their reason as the Roe V Wade ruling

Doctors have witnessed more men seeking vasectomies since the US Supreme Court overturned the historic Roe V Wade ruling of 1973.

The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion shook the world, with protests popping up across the globe and women already strategising about their next steps. According to The Washington Post, doctors in the US have even seen a peak in men looking for vasectomies, a medical procedure that acts as permanent contraception.

A staggering 60-70 per cent of patients told Dr John Curington, a Florida urologist, that the Supreme Court’s decision spurred their own.

“A few of them have such sophistication as young men that they actually are thinking about Justice [Clarence] Thomas and his opinion that contraception may fall next,” he said. “And that’s shocking. That’s something that doesn’t enter into our conversations ever, until this week.”

Before the ruling, associate doctor Dr Doug Stein said that he would typically do four or five vasectomies a day. Now he’s completing between 12 and 18, which means demand has tripled in just a week.

“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,” he explained.

Vasectomies have also been a popular topic on TikTok, where creators are announcing their upcoming procedures alongside The Chainsmoker’s song “Paris”.

However as described by The Huffington Post’s Faima Bakar, in her article entitled “No, Telling Men To Get Vasectomies Is Not The Answer Right Now”, the topic is not quite so simple.

Vasectomies are not a complete replacement for abortion and do not take into account situations of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

“Especially, in the case of abusive relationships or sexual assault, why would someone who doesn’t respect consent take up an invasive surgery for the benefit of someone else?” she wrote.

@keith_laue This isnt a normal post but i thought it was relevant given the news today #vasectomy #roevwade ♬ Shapes (feat. Roshin) – Shaun Frank & Hunter Siegel

Georgia Grainger, a historian with special knowledge of the procedure, urged caution on Twitter as she spoke on vasectomies.

“First, the US has done mandatory vasectomies for men it saw as unfit to be parents already. In fact, it was policy in some parts of the US for most of the twentieth century. It disproportionately affected Black, Latinx, and disabled people,” she explained.

https://twitter.com/sniphist/status/1540765317051232256

She added: “If you think a “mandatory vasectomy til men prove they can be a father” is even a fun thought experiment, I recommend you go and read up on eugenics.

“Plus, that inevitably becomes “mandatory IUDs for women” too, which again, has happened in recent US history.”