Mishawaka Planned Parenthood to offer vasectomies as men seek more post-Roe v. Wade
MISHAWAKA — The Mishawaka Planned Parenthood clinic will begin offering vasectomies Monday in response to a rise in men seeking to prevent accidental pregnancies, according to the reproductive health care provider.
In the months since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June, Planned Parenthood's six-state affiliate including Indiana has recorded a 34% boost in vasectomy procedures, according to data collected by the organization.
The trend tracks with a national study published in February, which found that the monthly volume of vasectomies doubled at one large health care provider. Numbers were especially elevated among men under 30 and childless men, the study showed.
The Mishawaka addition is part of Planned Parenthood's statewide expansion of vasectomy services following the passage of Indiana's near-total abortion ban more than a year ago. The law took effect last month after withstanding legal challenges from the ACLU and Planned Parenthood.
"As more people learn that vasectomies are being offered for them, the more they are considering it as a birth control option that's best for them and best for their partners," said Rebecca Gibron, CEO of Planned Parenthood's six-state affiliate that manages 35 clinics in Alaska, Hawai'i, Idaho, Kentucky, Washington and Indiana.
While Michiana's only abortion clinic closed this June, Planned Parenthood's Mishawaka Health Center has seen more than 1,700 patients so far this year, Gibron said. Most are college students seeking a variety of services such as sex education, birth control and testing for sexually transmitted infections.
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Increasingly, Gibron said, young people are considering options to prevent unwanted pregnancies in light of Indiana's restrictive new abortion law. The policy bans abortions except for in three narrowly defined cases: up to 10 weeks after fertilization in pregnancies caused by rape or incest; up to 20 weeks when a lethal fetal anomaly is detected; or in the event that a pregnant person's health is at serious risk.
Planned Parenthood announced an earlier expansion of vasectomy services in Hammond this February and plans to open two more sites in addition to the Mishawaka clinic. Planned Parenthood declined to name on Friday the other two cities where expanded vasectomy services are planned.
"We know that consistent access to birth control really does give people the ability to control when and if they have children," Gibron said. "It gives people more career and educational opportunities, healthier pregnancies, and really makes people less likely to rely on government programs if they can control the planning for when and if they get pregnant."
A vasectomy is meant to be a permanent form of male sterilization that's covered by most insurance plans or can cost up to $1,000. The procedure is 99% effective, according to Planned Parenthood. It's a safe surgery with two common methods: the incision method and the no-scalpel method. Though the procedure is technically reversible, the required operation is expensive and fertility isn't guaranteed.
Patients looking to book an appointment for a vasectomy consultation should call 1-800-769-0045 or visit Planned Parenthood's website.
Email South Bend Tribune city reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jordantsmith09
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Planned Parenthood Mishawaka begins offering vasectomy services
