# Solution to the abortion madness? Make vasectomies for men universally available for free/low cost **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 16, 2019, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076 "2019-05-16T19:13:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/41 "2019-05-17T10:19:26Z")
The Alabama law is so heinous because it also criminalizes at home abortions by women taking a drug for a chemical abortion. > **[Telemedicine Could Help Fill the Gaps in America's Abortion Care](https://www.wired.com/story/telemedicine-could-help-fill-the-gaps-in-americas-abortion-care/)** > > A growing body of research suggests that medication abortion could be offered without any in-person interaction at all. Anyway, I think most women should stock up for such medication in case they or a friend need it. The hassle and delay of buying it in a drugstore, or waiting for on-line delivery might be enough to miss an important pregnancy deadline. Such medication can be bought for around 100 dollars, free for people who can’t afford it. Buying the medication can be done safely through sites like these. [Women on the Web - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_on_the_Web) The same goes for morning after pills. If I were a woman in a Red State, I’d have a supply of those in my medicine cabinet. Even in Alabama those would be legal, as the woman takes them the morning after, not six weeks after. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/42 "2019-05-17T10:37:02Z")
People who are determined to “Make America A White Christian Nation Again” are not going to be in favor of letting white men opt out of their duty to make more white babies. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/43 "2019-05-17T10:47:44Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > People who are determined to “Make America A White Christian Nation Again” are not going to be in favor of letting white men opt out of their duty to make more white babies. Yeah, there’s a non-trivial overlap between the people saying “we are aborting our future” and the people saying that we have no room for more immigrants or refugees. The white supremacy angle here is very real. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/44 "2019-05-17T10:53:07Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Anyway, I think most women should stock up for such medication in case they or a friend need it. The hassle and delay of buying it in a drugstore, or waiting for on-line delivery might be enough to miss an important pregnancy deadline. Such medication can be bought for around 100 dollars, free for people who can’t afford it. Buying the medication can be done safely through sites like these. [Women on the Web - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_on_the_Web) > > The same goes for morning after pills. If I were a woman in a Red State, I’d have a supply of those in my medicine cabinet. Even in Alabama those would be legal, as the woman takes them the morning after, not six weeks after. If women should stock up in case a friend needs it, men should too. No reason to let dudes off the hook. ---
**Author:** ![l0k1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@l0k1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/l0k1)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/45 "2019-05-17T10:54:33Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Lol. You must not read any of the comments directed at Republicans or conservatives if you think my tone is overly strident. They did it first is a child’s argument. The only insults I see on this thread are from you. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/46 "2019-05-17T11:39:12Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > People who are determined to “Make America A White Christian Nation Again” are not going to be in favor of letting white men opt out of their duty to make more white babies. > [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Yeah, there’s a non-trivial overlap between the people saying “we are aborting our future” and the people saying that we have no room for more immigrants or refugees. The white supremacy angle here is very real. The white supremacist creed goes: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.” [Fourteen Words - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteen_Words) People more familiar with apartheid South Africa or Northern Ireland into the '70s could give us more information about that mindset. ---
**Author:** ![red\_fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@red\_fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_fish)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/47 "2019-05-17T11:48:10Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > nm PLS EXCUSE ME I AM NOT ENGLISH I DON’T UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF “nm”😕 WHAT DOES IT MEAN? THANK YOU ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/48 "2019-05-17T11:59:01Z")
“nm” means “no message”, or possibly “never mind” ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/49 "2019-05-17T12:03:29Z")
Vasectomies are irreversible, and many horny young men want children later. That’s not a great solution. IUDs on the other hand, are reversible, and last for years of they aren’t removed. They have a bad reputation in the US, because the ones used 50 years ago were dangerous. But the ones currently on the market have a good safety record. Rehabilitating and subsidizing IUDs would go a long way to reducing the demand for abortions. They don’t do anything to slow the spread of STIs, of course, but neither do vasectomies. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/50 "2019-05-17T12:09:22Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > So what? I’m responding to the ridiculous assertion that “blue states” can pick and choose what Supreme Court decisions to abide by with impunity. Why not address that ‘inflammatory’ assertion instead of the response? > > As the south learned during desegregation the federal government controls the army. Why don’t you address any response you see as inflammatory yourself? How about, “well, if Roe were simply overturned, then the decision to ban abortion would return to the States. However, if somehow it were banned nationwide, I don’t think blue states would simply ignore the law. There’s not much precedent for that.” Or, do it your way and make sure every thread goes right to the gutter. Whatever floats your boat. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/51 "2019-05-17T12:10:03Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Anti abortion activists are to a good degree motivated by misogyny and religious fundamentalism. If they truly opposed abortion they’d favor sex education and easy access to contraception since these things lower abortion rates. Do you have a cite that, in the USA, sex education lowers abortion rates? TIA. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/52 "2019-05-17T12:10:49Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Vasectomies are irreversible, and many horny young men want children later. That’s not a great solution. IUDs on the other hand, are reversible, and last for years of they aren’t removed. They have a bad reputation in the US, because the ones used 50 years ago were dangerous. But the ones currently on the market have a good safety record. > > Rehabilitating and subsidizing IUDs would go a long way to reducing the demand for abortions. They don’t do anything to slow the spread of STIs, of course, but neither do vasectomies. Some religious folks are against IUDs because of the (mistaken?) belief that they prevent implantation of fertilized eggs and so cause abortions. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/53 "2019-05-17T12:34:36Z")
Ah. They do prevent the implantation of the egg. But I think there’s a lot more political support for “don’t actively kill a thing with a heart beat” than for “don’t allow a fertilized egg to pass through the system without implanting”. Some huge fraction of fertilized eggs don’t make it in the best of circumstances. That’s why it typically takes more than one try to get a “test tube baby”, and why they often implant more than one fertilized egg at a time. But, from the perspective of at least some pro life people I’ve talked with, it’s like the difference between murdering your house guest and refusing to open the door to a stranger. I think a lot of young women and their loved ones would be comfortable with IUDs if they got better press, and if they were cheaper and easier to get. You’d mostly see opposition from the “people shouldn’t have sex unless they are married and open to babies” camp, not the pro-life camp. ---
**Author:** ![l0k1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@l0k1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/l0k1)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/54 "2019-05-17T13:01:37Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Ah. They do prevent the implantation of the egg. But I think there’s a lot more political support for “don’t actively kill a thing with a heart beat” than for “don’t allow a fertilized egg to pass through the system without implanting”. Some huge fraction of fertilized eggs don’t make it in the best of circumstances. That’s why it typically takes more than one try to get a “test tube baby”, and why they often implant more than one fertilized egg at a time. > > But, from the perspective of at least some pro life people I’ve talked with, it’s like the difference between murdering your house guest and refusing to open the door to a stranger. I think a lot of young women and their loved ones would be comfortable with IUDs if they got better press, and if they were cheaper and easier to get. > > You’d mostly see opposition from the “people shouldn’t have sex unless they are married and open to babies” camp, not the pro-life camp. Same camp. ---
**Author:** ![l0k1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@l0k1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/l0k1)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/55 "2019-05-17T13:05:04Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Do you have a cite that, in the USA, sex education lowers abortion rates? TIA. > > Regards, > Shodan > **[New Clarity for the U.S. Abortion Debate: A Steep Drop in Unintended...](https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2016/03/new-clarity-us-abortion-debate-steep-drop-unintended-pregnancy-driving-recent-abortion)** > > Using any contraceptive method significantly reduces a woman’s likelihood of becoming pregnant, and the most effective methods virtually eliminate that risk. This common-sense notion is supported by the scientific evidence, as well as by the life... ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/56 "2019-05-17T13:07:26Z")
I don’t see how offering easy vasectomies to men addresses in any way the self-determination of women. ---
**Author:** ![UnwittingAmericans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d9b06d/32.png) [@UnwittingAmericans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwittingAmericans)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/57 "2019-05-17T13:11:36Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > -Wanting to have children or not is something many people drastically change their mind about during their life. In both directions. So what? ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/58 "2019-05-17T13:23:55Z")
> [@l0k1](#): > > Same camp. Yeah, I think there’s a lot of overlap between them. It’s like gay marriage: Would those who oppose gay marriage really settle for civil unions given that the bulk of those who oppose gay marriage also opposed civil unions and, before that, the legalization of homosexual sex? It’s a mistake to just take them at their word and think that if you solve the problem they’re ostensibly complaining about, they’ll be appeased. This picture from an Economist article made me wonder: [Alabama’s lawmakers want to challenge Roe v Wade](https://www.economist.com/united-states/2019/05/16/alabamas-lawmakers-want-to-challenge-roe-v-wade) It makes it look like the bulk of anti-abortion activists are white middle-aged women past the age of having an abortion. I’ve seen stats of abortion opinion tolls split according to gender or age but not gender and age combined. Is there any data like that? It reminds me of a report I saw of a middle-aged guy with no education who spent the time he could otherwise have spent looking for work doing armed vigilante patrols of the US-Mexico borders, like he needed a cause to fill the gap where the rest of his life should be. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/59 "2019-05-17T13:29:18Z")
> [@](#): > > originally posted by Maastricht > _Anyway, I think most women should stock up for such medication in case they or a friend need it. The hassle and delay of buying it in a drugstore, or waiting for on-line delivery might be enough to miss an important pregnancy deadline. Such medication can be bought for around 100 dollars, free for people who can’t afford it. Buying the medication can be done safely through sites like these. [Women on the Web - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_on_the_Web) > The same goes for morning after pills. If I were a woman in a Red State, I’d have a supply of those in my medicine cabinet. Even in Alabama those would be legal, as the woman takes them the morning after, not six weeks after._ > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > If women should stock up in case a friend needs it, men should too. No reason to let dudes off the hook. Very good point, **Left Hand of Dorkness**. If I lived in Alabama and had a son, I would encourage him to stock up on both. Even if there’s a small chance having those might encourage intercourse without proper anticonception. ---
**Author:** ![red\_fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@red\_fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_fish)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2019, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076/60 "2019-05-17T13:58:36Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > “nm” means “no message”, or possibly “never mind” Yes, I found that googling it… but still I don’t see it fitting. Why someone would write ‘‘nm’’ rather that ignoring it and passing by? 😕 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/solution-to-the-abortion-madness-make-vasectomies-for-men-universally-available-for-free-low-cost/834076.md?page=4)