r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Jan 06 '25

Health After the US overturned Roe v Wade, permanent contraception surged among young adults living in states likely to ban abortion, new research found. Compared to May 2022, August 2022 saw 95% more vasectomies and 70% more tubal sterilizations performed on people between the ages of 19 and 26.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/06/permanent-contraception-abortion-roe-v-wade
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572

u/BrtFrkwr Jan 06 '25

A lot of people are not going to want to raise kids in what this country's turning into.

78

u/monkeypan Jan 07 '25

My wife and I got married a few months ago and are already seriously considering not having kids because we are already in our mid 30s and are still trying to get a foothold (we both grew up poor by legal definition). We wanted them before Roe v Wade was overturned but living in a state that already basically banned all abortions for any reason and everything else going on politically, I'm not going to risk her life.

193

u/Padhome Jan 07 '25

Why would you want to knowing how unsafe it is for them, knowing you could watch them die from disease with no help, be given poor education, and see a future where they will not only struggle to succeed but to even survive? The thought alone is haunting.

34

u/Low_Hour Jan 07 '25

Sometimes I wonder if I might want kids after all.

Then I think of all the accounts I've heard of children terrified they're going to die just going to school. Stuff like having a panic attack when the fire alarm goes off because it could be a shooter trying to draw them into the open.

As long as that's a reality, I can never have kids.

-7

u/SlartibartfastMcGee Jan 07 '25

Please don’t let social media affect your major life decisions. Bad things are amplified because it gets engagement.

The vast majority of kids don’t have problems like that, and it sounds more like an anxiety disorder than anything else.

4

u/llamasyi Jan 07 '25

i graduated high school in 2019 and i was having the fears then 100%, don’t know if it’s since gotten worse

66

u/dansedemorte Jan 07 '25

i fear for my children's futures and they are 28 and 22.

sigh

76

u/Scorcher646 Jan 07 '25

As a member of the same generation, we won't be able to buy a house or retire until our parents die and "hopefully" leave enough money behind.

Its cold calculus but the last opportunity left for most Americans my age is the hope that thier parents leave enough money behind to save us as a last act. And most of us don't have parents rich enough.

68

u/LudovicoSpecs Jan 07 '25

Even if your parents are rich, the American healthcare/insurance system is designed to bleed them of every last dime as they get older.

It's a feature, not a bug.

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u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

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15

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

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3

u/cloudforested Jan 07 '25

Exact same age and work history and similar problems. Right now I'm employed at a job I'm frankly overqualified for just to make end's meet while I try and find something better

1

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

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0

u/cloudforested Jan 07 '25

You too, man.

13

u/Venetian_Harlequin Jan 07 '25 edited Jan 07 '25

My Mom has apologized for bringing me into this world my entire life. She said she didn't want kids because the world is too fucked up.

I'm 38 this year. My Mom was well ahead of the curve.

-26

u/FortunateHominid Jan 07 '25

Yeah, I'm sure things were far better 100 years ago. Or 200...

Fact is humanity is doing better now than any other time in history. Far from perfect, but overall slowly getting better.

This nihilistic mindset isn't helpful or healthy. Do what you can to make the world a better place. Have kids and raise them to do the same. That's how we progress as a species.

9

u/Secretz_Of_Mana Jan 07 '25

Have you heard of climate change? I suppose it is a little known topic tbf

-10

u/FortunateHominid Jan 07 '25

Yes. When I was young there was worry about a hole in the ozone layer. It is now slowly healing in part due to actions/changes humans made over time.

Climate change is an issue and it's being addressed, research done, technology constantly improving. Humans are an adaptable and innovative species, though sometimes slow off the line.

Humanity is in the best place it's ever been. With steady progression 100 years from now, we could be even better, so long as we don't blow each other up first.

7

u/robo-puppy Jan 07 '25

The ozone layer was an easy fix with a palatable solution that didn't require any sacrifice for individual people. We are not making progress on climate change, unfortunately. Researchers are certainly tryin but it's accelerating, and we are not making enough progress to offset it. The changes necessary to make an impact will require some hard pills to swallow and its abundantly clear the general populace doesn't have the stomach for it.

1

u/FortunateHominid Jan 07 '25

If that proves to be the case, humas will adapt as they always have. Technology will have come a long way by then.

4

u/StonkSalty Jan 07 '25

"Just throw more people into the meat grinder so our species can continue its agonizingly slow walk into the future on hopes and dreams" isn't the motivating platitude you think it is.

-2

u/FortunateHominid Jan 07 '25

You think life today is that rough compared to any other time in history? Life has never been easier than it is today.

3

u/SlartibartfastMcGee Jan 07 '25

The standard of living for the average person living at the poverty line in 2025 is better than just about anyone during the Great Depression or Industrial Revolution.

We have had it so good for so long that it’s easy to forget just how awful conditions were even 100 years ago.

0

u/FortunateHominid Jan 07 '25

Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.

This saying holds a lot of truth. It appears we are in the latter.

-42

u/vandalayindustriess Jan 07 '25

So everyone should give up and not have kids because we're doomed? Rather than trying to better our country by raising loving and caring children, who also want what's best for humanity and not the all mighty dollar.

I don't understand that mindset at all.

40

u/nerd4code Jan 07 '25

Yes, raise the children to suffer and continue propping up the assholes at the top! That’ll solve the problem.

33

u/Doctor_Philgood Jan 07 '25

Do whatever you want, bro. But some of us see the future as bleak, and there are plenty of unwanted kids in foster care. Kids are also obscenely expensive, especially in a late stage capitalist hellscape.

Not your problem if many of us choose not to breed, nor is it my problem if you choose to.

40

u/Padhome Jan 07 '25

I’m saying we should start having more kids again once we achieve that quality of life and not before, and the fact is that a lower population eats up less resources and is overall better for the environment. If you have the means you can also adopt, there’s way too many kids out there already who need good homes,a legacy doesn’t have to be a genetic lineage.

5

u/InGeeksWeTrust07 Jan 07 '25

I think some people just don't want kids. Me personally, I'm fine without them. Wife and I have more time for each other, and aren't worrying about finances. I love my sister's kids, they're amazing, and I love being an uncle, but kids are a huge responsibility.

12

u/TreacleExpensive2834 Jan 07 '25

You should listen through Breaking Down: Collapse podcast.

They cite sources and are not alarmist.

But

Having a kid right now is not the move.

-10

u/vandalayindustriess Jan 07 '25

What should I do with the ones I have now?

5

u/TreacleExpensive2834 Jan 07 '25

Love them. Make good memories and instill in them a deep sense of gratitude for every modern luxury we have. They may see a day without them.

But this is definitely a “prevention is the cure” situation.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

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u/Doctor_Philgood Jan 07 '25

Real question: what are we realistically supposed to be looking forward to as a species?

-11

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

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u/Doctor_Philgood Jan 07 '25

So the answer is no.

Even in trying times, we could look forward to times of peace, or prosperity, or progress. Looking forward to the half price drinks at Dave And Busters on tuesday while the world and our rights burn around us isn't exactly overshadowing the bitter, ugly reality that has no indication whatsoever of getting better. If anything, we are accelerating downwards.

We all do what we need to cope with that. But I'm not putting a child through that if I have the choice.

-11

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

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12

u/Doctor_Philgood Jan 07 '25

I've made the best of it. But having a lifetime of seeing things get worse and worse has not been stellar.

"Less than ideal" in this case is like calling a house fire "just a big candle." We are absolutely fucked, and I don't need to watch my kid experience it being even worse than I have. If I change my mind, there are plenty of kids in the foster system. I don't need a little version of me.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

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u/vandalayindustriess Jan 07 '25

No kidding. So many sad basement dwellers who get addicted to the news and think the world is imploding because of what they see on TikTok.

33

u/Momoselfie Jan 07 '25

The only sad thing is a lot of smarter people are removing themselves from the gene pool. Makes you worry about future generations.

-26

u/Phyraxus56 Jan 07 '25

They must not be that smart if they're doing that.

The problem will sort itself out.

10

u/Xeta24 Jan 07 '25

You're not smart if you don't want to have kids?

-7

u/Phyraxus56 Jan 07 '25

There's certainly something abnormal about it

10

u/After-Imagination-96 Jan 07 '25

Have you seen the documentary called Idiocracy?

You're the punchline

-6

u/Phyraxus56 Jan 07 '25

You must've missed the point if you think it's a documentary.

1

u/Kheprisun Jan 07 '25

The joke.

Your head.

5

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

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-2

u/Phyraxus56 Jan 07 '25

Naw the smart thing would be to make generational wealth.

-4

u/tidho Jan 07 '25

yeah.... that's not what's happening.

a lot of college educated people are (but that doesn't mean "smart"), and a lot of overly reactionary people are (and that generally means, "not smart").

6

u/DemiserofD Jan 07 '25

Broadly speaking, the worse the social conditions the MORE kids people have, not less.

3

u/Admirable-Ad7152 Jan 07 '25

Literally this. I was very 50/50 until the last election. Ya want fascism? Fine, but I ain't raising a kid in it.

-2

u/JimBeam823 Jan 07 '25

Thus ensuring that the future will be dominated by the children of the people who DO want to raise kids in what this country is turning into.

3

u/BrtFrkwr Jan 07 '25

Where only the rich will be able to afford to raise kids.

-2

u/JimBeam823 Jan 07 '25

Irresponsible people who suck with money have never had a problem having kids.

-37

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

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47

u/Doctor_Philgood Jan 07 '25

Counterpoint: our rights to our personal agency are under constant attack, and we are losing. Maybe we don't want that for our offspring.

-19

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

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23

u/Doctor_Philgood Jan 07 '25

Adversity? Women and lgbtq and POC are actively losing basic human rights, and there have been promises of much more very soon.

That's not adversity. That is being metaphorically and actively hunted. It's also not a perception of doom if there is actual quantifiable evidence of us racing into extremely doomed times.

The american dream is a lie. Only one demographic still believes in it and, surprise, they are the ones who aren't going to be targeted by the christofascist regime.

-15

u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

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18

u/lohonomo Jan 07 '25

Look out everyone, the tone police is here. Make sure you use positive language when discussing the slow death of the US empire.

15

u/BrtFrkwr Jan 07 '25

Thank you for a wonderful example of pettifoggery.

3

u/Modtec Jan 07 '25

The chances of my wife conceiving is about 10-15% of the average for her age, because of medical reasons. The chances of both her and a potential child surviving the pregnancy are 30% at best because of said medical reasons. Because of the latter she still is on hormonal birth control "just to be safe", but that makes her medical problems worse, so I'm scheduled for a vasectomy in six weeks, as that is easier (finding a gyn who is ready to do a tube-cut for a women under 35 is atrocious) and cheaper to have done where we live. And last but not least I personally think surrogate pregnancies are immoral.

So yes, one might say my partner being alive and healthier is a "different life priority" or a "lifestyle choice". Or MAYBE some people have actual medical reasons...

5

u/m-in Jan 07 '25

“Removing themselves from the gene pool”. Yeah, technically correct, but that’s not the time nor place, man.

-3

u/QuestionableIdeas Jan 07 '25

It's just a smidgen eugenic-y