Some clinics in the U.S. are set to offer free vasectomies after demand for the procedure soared in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling that ended the constitutional right to abortion. The free sterilizations are part of World Vasectomy Day, which was originally a one-day event that has since expanded into a range of activities throughout November. Dr. Esgar Guarin will be taking his mobile clinic—nicknamed the “Nutcracker—around towns in Iowa to perform 40 free vasectomies. “It’s a very particular moment in reproductive rights in the United States,” he told the Associated Press. “And we need to talk about it.” Sixty vasectomies will also be offered to uninsured patients in parts of Missouri as part of an initiative with Planned Parenthood. While national sterilization numbers for 2022 are not yet available, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood said their website had seen a 53 percent increase in vasectomy searches in the last 100 days alone. “I think everybody is busier since the Dobbs decision,” said Dr. Doug Stein, who co-founded World Vasectomy Day, adding that patient registrations for his practice tripled after the Supreme Court decision.
