Nineteen patients receive free vasectomies at Springfield Planned Parenthood on Friday
Correction: Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri provider Dr. Margaret Baum made the comment about a waitlist, not PPSLR communications director Julie Lynn. Additionally, the 50 people were not on a waitlist as Baum previously stated, but booked their appointments after finding out that all the free appointments were filled.
It took about 20 minutes, but something Springfield resident Brad Bashor had wanted for a while came to fruition on Friday: A vasectomy.
After losing his job and insurance, Bashor qualified for a free vasectomy, offered by Dr. Esgar Guarin.
Guarin and Dr. Margaret Baum performed 19 free vasectomies at Springfield Planned Parenthood for patients without insurance to celebrate World Vasectomy Day. Baum and Guarin performed 20 vasectomies in St. Louis the day before, and were scheduled to be in Joplin on Saturday. According to Baum, about 50 more people made appointments for vasectomies even after the free appointments were filled.
While Bashor has wanted the procedure for almost three decades, the "ridiculous price" had prevented him from seeking it when he had insurance, according to his girlfriend, Erika Haas.
More:Missouri Planned Parenthood announces plans for mobile abortion clinic in southern Illinois
"It's something insurance should definitely cover," Bashor said, because it means the insurance companies don't have to pay additional money to cover children. In 2020, giving birth in Missouri cost an average of $15,544 before insurance, according to a CBS News article that cited data from Hospital Pricing Specialists.
Cost isn't the only thing that prevents people from getting a vasectomy — sometimes patients can't even get in the door to meet with a doctor.
Those seeking a vasectomy sometimes get turned away, and not always by doctors, according to Guarin. One patient he encountered told Guarin about calling a doctor's office to get a consult for a vasectomy, but after answering questions about his age and how many children he had, the receptionist would not schedule an appointment for him.
Haas accompanied Bashor during the vasectomy, standing beside him as Guarin performed the scalpel-free procedure. Neither wants to have children — "We're fine being the fun aunt and uncle," Haas said — and doctors told Haas that her medical conditions made a pregnancy dangerous.
So, while Haas previously received a tubal ligation, the couple didn't want to take any risks, especially with the overturn of Roe v. Wade this past June.
"They took away our last resort. Nobody gets an abortion for fun," Bashor said. "I don't understand it."
Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Patients receive free vasectomies at Springfield Planned Parenthood
