Post-Dobbs, Sterilizations Spike; May-Aug 2022 Vasectomies Up 95%, Ligations Up 78% In Adults 19-26

EDIT

Research shows a significant increase in vasectomies and tubal ligations in the months just before and after the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the 2022 decision that ended a constitutional right to abortion after nearly half a century.

A study in the journal Health Affairs this month found that from May to August 2022, vasectomies surged by 95 percent and tubal sterilizations by 70 percent among adults ages 19 to 26. Researchers used medical records to analyze procedure codes and found that states likely to ban abortions after Dobbs experienced a greater increase in permanent contraception procedures compared with states unlikely to implement bans.

The data tracked with that of a JAMA Health Forum research letter published this past spring, which noted a rise in permanent contraception procedures among adults ages 18 to 30 years following the ruling. “We know that young people, including young adults, are sensitive to major changes like the Dobbs decision, so it’s not totally surprising to me that we would see some type of shift,” said Julia Strasser, author of the latest study and an assistant research professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at George Washington University. “I do think the magnitude of the change was somewhat surprising.”

EDIT

Women’s health clinics are also reporting increases in people interested in sterilization. Planned Parenthood saw a dramatic jump in interest in tubal ligations, with visits to its main website skyrocketing the day before the 2024 presidential election. In-person queries are soaring at some of the organization’s regional health centers, even in parts of the country where abortion remains legal and widely available. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England has 15 locations that log over 54,000 patient visits yearly. After Donald Trump’s reelection in November, it saw a 368 percent increase in consultations for vasectomies, chief executive Nicole Clegg said. “It’s absolutely a phenomenon because urologists in our area had a six-month wait list,” Clegg said. The clinic responded by expanding vasectomy services and hiring a second doctor just for that procedure.

EDIT

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/01/15/abortion-vasectomies-tubal-ligations-surging/

https://wapo.st/40wbNvA