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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u/HauntedButtCheeks Jan 07 '25

This is just people exercising good common sense. The most miserable version of life I've ever seen is always when people are raising kids they can't afford &/or didn't want. It causes permanent struggling and stress. We will save ourselves from that fate.

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u/sarhoshamiral Jan 07 '25

While I agree on not having kids if you don't want them, I also think early twenties is early to make a permanent decision. Your thoughts can easily change in late 20s or 30s and may regret the decision you made earlier.

So it is definitely not something someone should take lightly. Unfortunately, red states don't leave much option though with their bigotry, limiting reproductive care so I also can see why people decide on this right now.

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u/HustlerThug Jan 07 '25

that was always the case though. contraceptive methods like condoms have always been an options. idk why you need to jump the gun and sterilize yourself

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u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

Because if a condom fails, as they do sometimes, and you get pregnant you have no option for abortion. Many people (like myself) would rather be sterile than be forced into carrying a term pregnancy before I'm ready and willing.

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u/HustlerThug Jan 07 '25

i just think it's a huge leap for an unlikely scenario. in the case of a condom breaking, it's pretty obvious when it occurs and if you only notice after the fact, there's always plan B (even though it won't necessarily lead to pregnancy due to fertility cycles). i think it's also a quite rare occurrence. i don't have an issue with people making that decision, i just read that there are risks in terms of male fertility if you choose to reverse the procedure. i think there are many ways to practice safe sex without the need for medical procedures

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u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25

Did you read what I said? Even if the risk of getting pregnant while using contraception is small, the consequences of pregnancy are lifelong and will impact every single aspect of a woman's life. Permanent body changes/damage and financial loss at best, even if you give it up for adoption and even worse if not. Doomed to cyclical poverty, risk of long term health issues, risks to employment security and availability due to pregnancy and childcare.

Are there ways to practice safe sex without getting pregnant? Yeah, sure. Are they guaranteed 100%? Absolutely not. And many are not willing to accept the risk.

Oh, and btw, IUD insertions and nexplanon insertion/removal are both medical procedures and happen to be the most effective reversible methods that exist.

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u/HustlerThug Jan 07 '25

i'm not discussing the impacts of pregnancies or abortions on the woman's body, but the medical sterilizations that people are doing. yes IUDs are great and are also medical procedures, but the article in question mentions tubal sterilizations and vasectomies, two procedures that can prohibit future fertility if they decide to get it reversed

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u/[deleted] Jan 07 '25 edited Jan 07 '25

i'm not discussing the impacts of pregnancies or abortions on the woman's body, but the medical sterilizations that people are doing.

That's the problem. You cannot discuss one without the other, because the reason people are seeking more permanent options is due to fear and lack of availability for women's reproductive choice. You completely ignored the very real lived experiences of women and the fears we face in the current political climate. It sounds exactly like the rich assholes who keep lamenting the declining birth rate as if it's not a major, life altering thing to get pregnant and have kids.

It's literally the entire point. It's why I asked if you even read my comment. Sterilization is now preferable for many rather than risk forced birth

Kids are also permanent, but we don't require multiple waiting periods and counseling appointments to have kids do we?

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u/Halluncinogenesis Jan 07 '25

Oh, sweet summer HustlerThug. Contraception can fail, and men can rape without using contraception to exercise their US-given right to force any girl or woman they please to bear their child.

Don’t pretend this is anything other than half a nation being trapped as breeding stock, like cattle.

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u/HustlerThug Jan 07 '25

is plan B not valid in both cases? also, it's not like rape becomes legal or acceptable if abortions were no longer available, idk how they would become more prevalent. ftr, im not against abortion and i think it's unfortunate you guys would lose that access, i just think that there are ways to avoid unwanted pregnancies.

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u/Halluncinogenesis Jan 07 '25

Plan B is a perfectly valid option, if you can afford and access it.

I live in NZ so have no first-hand experience with access in US, but here it usually costs and you have to be questioned by a pharmacist about why you’re needing to take it. Seems luck of the draw how much judgment you must endure, and ideological opposition from prescribers can become a factor/barrier.

If you can’t afford the cost, time off, or heck, are so busy working through the trauma that you miss the short window where it’s most effective, I’m not sure what else you can do to protect yourself from having to grow an unwanted foetus.

Plus, with the way things are going in the US, how long do we expect Plan B to be legally and practically obtainable for? The trajectory of reproductive rights and healthcare in the US right now is swift and dire.

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u/HustlerThug Jan 07 '25

to address your first point, i would still imagine that it's much easier to access and afford than an entire medical procedure like abortion. the procedure itself would be also a lot more taxing than a stern talk from a pharmacist. but you do raise a valid point that the plan b has a short window of efficacy.

i am saddened that reproductive rights are taken away from people in the US. i really think the govt should stay out of people's businesses, but my initial point was that there are ways to prevent pregnancies without sterilizing yourself (or rather procedures in which their reversal doesn't guarantee your initial fertility rate as the ones mentioned in the article title). IUDs are a good example of alternative contraceptive methods that, as far as i know, don't impact your capacity to become pregnant if you have it removed

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u/Limp_Photo_625 Jan 07 '25

Family is the way.

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u/ShortsAndLadders Jan 07 '25

Read the room, Toretto….

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u/LordDaedhelor Jan 07 '25

How does doing shrooms help while raising children?

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u/RSGator Jan 07 '25

It depends. Some parents are great. Some parents end up having kids who turn into grown adults that throw away their lives by being losers who can't even make it in the military and get addicted to psychedelic drugs.

Not all people would make great parents.

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u/TheRightIsRight89 Jan 07 '25

All those poor men being forced into fatherhood even if he can‘t afford or don‘t want the kid.

Atleast now, both parties are being held accountable :)) wonderful isn’t it