A large Planned Parenthood affiliate has been doing more sterilizations on men this fall since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health.
Dr. Grace Shih, director of vasectomy services for Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, told KIRO 7 News that they have seen a 34-percent increase since the June abortion ruling, according to Fox News.
Shih said one man told her that he believed having a vasectomy was an “act of love.” Others apparently never want to have children.
“Men are interested in learning about contraception and learning about a vasectomy. I think the change in our political climate brought ideas and motivations that were there but to the surface,” she said.
Her Planned Parenthood affiliate has facilities in northwestern states, Alaska, Hawaii, Indiana and Kentucky. In some of those states, unborn babies now are protected from abortions.
The abortion chain tells patients on its website that the sterilization procedure is “almost” pain-free, comparing it to “going to the dentist or getting blood drawn,” according to The Blaze. It also notes that Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act, does not cover vasectomies, so Planned Parenthood facilities charge for the procedure.
Doctors in Florida, Kansas and Washington state also have reported an increased demand for sterilization procedures. These include Dr. Marah Hehemann of the University of Washington, who said more than half of the patients they see for vasectomies now are men who do not have children.
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Why these men are choosing to never have children is not clear. One Washington state man, Evan Pulgino, told the local news that he felt like he “had to do something kind of on my end” in response to Roe v. Wade being overturned, Fox News reports.
“Half the country lost their rights,” Pulgino said. “Pregnancy requires two people, and it’s not fair that the burden falls on one person because they’re the ones that can get pregnant.”
The Supreme Court ruled that aborting an unborn baby is not a right, however, in the Dobbs decision and began allowing states to protect unborn babies’ right to life if they choose to do so. Currently, 13 states are enforcing pro-life laws that ban or strictly limit the killing of unborn babies in abortions, and about nine more are fighting in court to do the same.
In June, the Supreme Court overturned Roe in a historic victory for life and returned the power to legislate abortion to the people. Because of the Dobbs decision, states may protect unborn babies from abortion for the first time in nearly 50 years. New research estimates state pro-life laws have saved as many as 10,000 unborn babies’ lives since June.