In 2012, the world got a new holiday. That would be World Vasectomy Day, co-founded by filmmaker Jonathan Stack after making a documentary about a doctor who specialized in the procedure. In a letter on the organization’s website, Stack referred to “a collective mission to increase male participation in sexual and reproductive health.” As it turns out, it’s a cause that’s resonating with more and more people.
A new report at The Washington Post chronicles an increasing number of men who are opting to get vasectomies in response to the growing nationwide efforts to limit abortions. The article quotes Koushik Shaw, a doctor based in Austin, who told the Post that “patients are citing a state law as their motivating factor” in a way that they had not previously done.
More and more people are considering vasectomies as a way to be more equitable when it comes to reproductive health as well. Doctor Sarah Miller addressed the disparity in family planning, telling the Post that “[i]t’s outrageous that we don’t have more contraceptive options for people with man parts.”
World Vasectomy Day is but one part of a larger effort to raise awareness that vasectomies are, in fact, an option. A number of lawmakers have also introduced bills to this end — including Pennsylvania State Representative Chris Rabb. This fall, he introduced a bill intended as a response to Texas’s SB8 law.
“Rarely is there a meaningful dialogue around public policy focusing on the personal responsibility of cisgender men in this sphere,” Rabb wrote when introducing the bill. And while he described the bill as satirical in nature, his sentiment is spot-on.
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