More Men Request Vasectomies After Supreme Court Ruling Against Abortion

By Minyvonne Burke and Maya Brown -

The day after the leaked draft of the Supreme Court ruling on abortion was published in the press on May 2, Sam Peagler made an appointment to have a vasectomy.

"I knew things weren't going to get any better, at least not for a while," he explained.

Years ago Peagler, 26, a copywriter for Meta in Austin, Texas, decided with his wife that they didn't want children.

He thought he would have the procedure after his 30th birthday, but pushed his decision forward because he felt the need to exercise her "bodily autonomy to protect her and me."

"I've planned for most of my adult life. I'm comfortable with the decision not to have children, and my wife is fine with it, too. It was something we discussed together," he explained.

The vasectomy, a sterilization procedure that surgically blocks a man's sperm, was performed last month.

This organization promotes vasectomy as a form of contraception and works to debunk its myths

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The Supreme Court definitively annulled Roe v.

Wade on Friday, ending the constitutional right to abortion.

The ruling sparked protests across the country and a wave of legal proceedings in state courts by abortion rights advocates.

It also caused more men to request vasectomies, like Peagler.

The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio said Thursday that it has seen a "significant increase" in the scheduling of vasectomy requests.

It typically gets three to four requests a day, but from Friday through Wednesday it received 90, a spokesman said.

Sam Peagler and his wife Sam Peagler

University Hospitals, also in Ohio, said it has seen a "slight increase in vasectomy visits since the ruling, but not necessarily appointments."

David Robbins, a urologist in North Miami, Florida, told WPLG-TV that calls at his clinic have increased so much that he will have to work Saturdays to keep up with the demand for appointments.

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In Missouri, Christian Hettinger, a urologist at Kansas City Urology Care, said his practice has been bombarded with calls seeking information about the procedure.

"Since Friday, the number of people wanting to have a vasectomy has increased 900%," he told NBC station KSHB.

The number of people who want to have a vasectomy has increased by 900%"

Christian Hettinger, Urologist in Missouri

Ohio, Texas, Florida and Missouri are among the many states that have laws designed to ban or severely restrict abortion after the Supreme Court decision, or that planned to implement other abortion bans.

Jerald Stiedaman, 46, of Evanston, Illinois, called Friday to schedule a vasectomy consultation, saying the overturning "absolutely" influenced his decision, even though abortions remain legal in his state.

"I am married and have children. Although I don't plan on having any more children, I don't want to be able to cause a pregnancy in the future, ever again. Men are part of the pregnancy equation, and we have to take responsibility," he said.

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"It's something I've been thinking about for a while, and this prompted me to do it. I'm doing it for my wife and daughter."

Paul Rahfield Jr., 37, of New Orleans, said he scheduled a vasectomy for similar reasons.

A court has temporarily blocked Louisiana's activation law.

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"Between our [attorney general's] law and the impending death of Roe v. Wade, my wife decided she was going to have a tubal ligation. While she was in her office, I decided I would have a vasectomy and started calling to urologists," he said.

"I thought I would be a very bad husband if I allowed my wife to bear all the responsibility for a problem that affects us both, especially since, in my case, doing things right only requires a small outpatient procedure," he said.

Rahfield said that with the Supreme Court decision and the Louisiana ban, he felt his wife's safety was in jeopardy.

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"If Roe hadn't been overturned, my wife wouldn't have been thinking about having a ligation, nor would I have opted for a vasectomy. Louisiana plans to punish women as much as possible. We don't want children. And my wife is my life. These laws create too many scenarios that endanger my wife's safety," he said.

Philip Werthman, director of the Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Vasectomy Reversal in Los Angeles, called for people not to make rash decisions that could permanently affect their health.

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"I'm very, very happy and proud to hear that men are taking responsibility for their reproductive health and reproductive choices. I think for a long time in the country men have been a little bit out of the conversation, and that falls on women, but it is the responsibility of both parties. However, if you are going to undergo a surgical and permanent procedure, you should think carefully," he said.

If you are going to undergo a surgical and permanent procedure, you should think about it"

Philip Werthman, specialist in reproductive medicine

According to the Mayo Clinic, vasectomies can be reversed but "should be considered a permanent form of male birth control."

Peagler, who had a consultation before undergoing the procedure, said he understands the importance of his decision.

"If my wife can't protect herself and have control over her own body, then I feel like I have a responsibility to do that for both myself and her," he said.