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The rise of the vasectomy: One third more men under age of 30 are getting the snip after Roe v. Wade overturn
Emerging research has found that more men under the age of 30 are seeking vasectomies in the wake of the Roe v. Wade overturn.
Following the landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022, states were given the say on abortion policies and reproductive rights.
An analysis from the University of Utah found that the percentage of men under 30 who underwent vasectomies jumped from 6.2 to 9.8 in the the months after the ruling.
The researchers examined data from millions of patients nationwide, comparing statistics from July to December 2021 with an identical period beginning the month immediately after the overturn.
The researchers found a 'significant increase' in the rate of single men and men under 30 undergoing vasectomies after the ruling in which the Supreme Court held that the U.S. Constitution does not confer the right to abortion.'
They also concluded that the increased rate of vasectomies was consistent among states 'regardless of the legal climate'.
New research shows that more more under the age of 30 have begun to seek vasectomies following the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022
After the landmark decision, the percentage of men under 30 who underwent the procedure jumped from 6.2 to 9.8 percent, an analysis from the University of Utah found
The authors also concluded that the increased rate of vasectomies was consistent among states 'regardless of the legal climate,' or whether or not abortion was legal
These findings were echoed in other studies published this year, including a paper from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and Boston University.
The article showed 'an abrupt increase' in the number of patients between 18 and 30 years old who were undergoing vasectomies and tubal ligation (the equivalent for women) after the ruling.
However, the authors noted that the increase in procedures for female patients was double that for male patients.
Lead author Jacqueline Ellison, an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Pitt School of Public Health, proposed an explanation for the discrepancy.
Tubal ligation procedures are 'far more complex' and 'anywhere from two to six times more expensive,' Ellison wrote.
'The major difference in patterns of these two procedures likely reflects the fact that young women are overwhelmingly responsible for preventing pregnancy and disproportionately experience the health, social and economic consequences of abortion bans,' she said in a statement.
While the paper shied away from determining causality, it noted that the abrupt increase in permanent contraception rates 'may indicate a policy-induced change in contraceptive preferences.'
The 2022 ruling 'may have also increased a sense of urgency among individuals who were interested in permanent contraception before the decision,' the paper's authors wrote.
Another study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and Boston University found 'an abrupt increase' in the number of patients between 18 and 30 who were undergoing sterilization
However, the authors of that study noted that the increase in procedures for female patients was double that for male patients
The paper noted that the abrupt increase in the number of patients seeking permanent contraception 'may indicate a policy-induced change in contraceptive preferences'
A study from Ohio State University published earlier this month examined the responses to an anonymous survey sent to patients who had received treatment from the school's Department of Urology in the last two years.
When the authors compared responses pre- and post-ruling, they found that patients 'demonstrated concern for abortion inaccessibility' after the June 2022 decision 'and were more likely to obtain vasectomy due to this reason.'
Furthermore, patients were 'significantly more likely to indicate that they chose to have a vasectomy due to a concern about an inability to obtain abortion access' after the ruling.
Patients were also significantly more likely to indicate that they 'did not want to bring children into the current political climate,' and sought sterilization instead.
The researchers found that men opting for vasectomies were not only younger than before, but more likely to be childless.
'Furthermore, the increased volume also had increased the wait time between initial consult and procedure,' they wrote, suggesting that urologists 'adjust practice patterns to accommodate' the higher demand.
When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade nearly two years ago, the states, ironically, were given the right to choose, rather than the federal government.
At present, abortion is illegal in 14 states, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. The ruling enabled states like Missouri, Texas and South Dakota to enforce a trigger ban, which automatically criminalized the procedure.
Other states like California and New York enacted comprehensive abortion rights legislature before the decision, meaning a woman's right to choose was protected.
But tolerance is a sliding scale, and a few states hang somewhere in the middle. In New Hampshire and Virginia, abortion remains accessible, but without legal protections. In New Mexico, the courts have yet to determine whether the state constitution protects it.
A study from Ohio State University analyzed the results of a survey that asked men why they sought vasectomies and found that patients 'demonstrated concern for abortion inaccessibility' after the ruling
Abortion is currently illegal in 14 states, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights
The procedure is accessible, but not legally protected, in New Hampshire and Virginia, while courts in New Mexico have yet to determine whether the state constitution protects it
The landmark decision caused a rift in national opinion. The most vocal opponents, particularly stringent Catholics, argued against abortion for religious reasons.
Among them was 30-year-old Lauren Handy, who was sentenced to nearly five years in prison Tuesday after leading an invasion and blockade of a reproductive health clinic in 2020. Police found five fetuses at her home after she was indicted.
Several of Handy's associates are also on trial. One co-defendant forced pushed a nurse, causing her to sprain her ankle. Another co-defendant prevented a woman who was having labor pains from entering the clinic.
Those on the other side of the issue argue that abortion is an essential component of women's healthcare and can often be a life-saving measure.
A Pew Research Center survey conducted nearly a year after the ruling found that 62 percent of U.S. adults said the practice should be legal in all or most cases, while 36 percent opposed.
The criminalization of abortion means that the country may see more illegal procedures, increasing the risk of patient death.
Developing countries, particularly those in Asia, bear the brunt of 97 percent of all unsafe abortions, according to a 2021 report from the World Health Organization.
In developed regions, it is estimated that 30 women die for every 100,000 unsafe abortions. That number rises to 220 deaths per 100,000 unsafe abortions in developing regions.