Edit: I want to clarify, I hold neither stance as I don’t feel I have enough information on the subject. I’m just looking for viewpoints that I haven’t yet considered.
Original post is as follows:
I had this thought recently and I’d like some external opinions. For those who don’t know, a vasectomy is reversible.
For:
- Unwanted pregnancy is a huge issue for society and a worry for many people. Doing this would solve both problems entirely.
- Female birth control very often causes uncomfortable side effects for the woman, while a vasectomy is a one-and-done deal with a very small chance of failure or future complications.
Against:
- Doing this may violate bodily autonomy, as you are undergoing an optional medical procedure without your knowledge. The same argument can be made about how circumcision is treated in many parts of the world.
- Reversal is expensive and may not always work. A potential rebuttal of this is that if you are in the financial position of being able to raise a child, you will also have the necessary funds to reverse your vasectomy.
I would appreciate all opinions on this!
I also understand this can be a sensitive question, so please be civil in the comments.
The cons far outweigh the pros. You neglected to mention that we already have cheap, effective, and non-invasive birth control in the form of condoms. This is the nuclear option when what people really need is more sex education.
No. Absolutely not. As much as reducing the rate of unwanted pregnancy is important, bodily autonomy is paramount. Instead, there needs to be comprehensive sex education and effective birth control for men that isn’t as invasive as a vasectomy. That way, the burden of ensuring appropriate birth control—or its side effects—doesn’t always have to be on women.
Funnily enough, I just heard of a new birth control for men that isn’t on the market, at least yet… it’s cleverly called Plan A.
Edit: fixed the link
The chance of successful vasectomy reversing goes down by like 10% every year (I made that 10% up) but they do go down and I wouldn’t count on it being a guarantee. Also sperm production may be affected or reduced even if you can get it reversed.
If you’re really sure you don’t want kids then sure but I wouldn’t risk it otherwise.
Condoms are a much better solution.
The final solution for poverty…
I can see how you might reach that conclusion, but consider this: do you feel it is correct to bring a life into the world knowing that you can’t afford to provide for them? To me, that’s placing an unnecessary burden on both your family and society.
Though with that being said, someone else mentioned that reversals are ~$10,000, which is obscenely expensive and way more than I thought it would be, so the current cost of them does make it seem like I’m saying “only the rich should have children”, even when I’m not.
No but they shouldn’t make you wait till you’re 40 either, same with tying tubes
That would definitely make humans extinct over time. Or at least law abiding humans whose parents followed the law.
So that would be natural selection in favor of law breakers.
