After Roe v. Wade Ruling, Doctors See An Increase In Vasectomies For Birth Control
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – In the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to end Roe v. Wade, more and more men are taking birth control into their own hands. They are doing it by turning to vasectomies to prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Just one day after the ruling took effect, Google searches for the word "vasectomy" peaked and doctors all over the country are getting calls from men asking about the procedure - including here in our area.
"I've had an influx of consults for vasectomy over the past probably four to six weeks," Dr. Michael Hagg, a urologist at Main Line Health, said.
Dr. Hagg doesn't know if the increase in vasectomies is completely related to the reversal of Roe, but it was for one patient this morning.
"He told me that he and his wife had discussed getting vasectomy prior to the decision, but once it did, it kind of prompted them to make the appointment sooner," Dr. Hagg said
Twenty-seven-year-old Thomas Figueroa says he and his girlfriend do not want children, so getting a vasectomy was always on his mind.
"I've always thought about this decision. The Supreme Court did push me to finally do it," Figueroa said.
The procedure, which blocks sperm from entering semen, is outpatient and takes about ten minutes, with about a two-day recovery.
"We use local anesthesia," Dr. Hagg said. "The incision is quite small, maybe five to six millimeters and requiring one or two stitches that dissolve on their own."
Doctors say vasectomies are easier and less risky than a female tubal ligation.
For Figueroa, it is also about easing the burden on women who have had their constitutional right to abortion taken away by the Supreme Court.
"I feel for a lot of men, especially for myself, that this is a way where they're trying to protect their girlfriends or try and protect their partners," Figueroa said. "They're trying to protect their future partners."
In Houston, Jordan Castro's post to men about getting a vasectomy went viral.
"Really try to put yourself into women's shoes, and just take a little bit more responsibility," Castro said.
Vasectomies are considered one of the safest and most effective forms of birth control. While they are reversible, doctors say not all reversals are successful.
