Snip Away – Consider Vasectomy

“With vasectomy you get snipped but you are still equipped “- Unknown

August is “Family Planning Month”. As part of the annual celebration and activities of the said month, the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) recently called for more medical doctors in Northern Mindanao to specialize in non-scalpel vasectomy. Clearly, CPD is renewing its drive to promote vasectomy as a viable family planning method not only in Mindanao but in the whole country.

A vasectomy is one of the most effective family planning option available today. It is over 99.99 percent effective in preventing pregnancy. Unfortunately, it is not a very popular procedure for men. In the Philippines, only 1 percent of Filipino males have undergone vasectomy. In a recent press conference, an official of the CPD stated: “we have to admit that acceptance of men undergoing vasectomy is still a challenge, in the previous months, we only have two, but we are consistent with our call on this (family planning) method.”

Despite the new non-scalpel method, many men still cringe at the thought of getting a vasectomy. In the so-called non-invasive method, there is no more scalpel incision done on the scrotum. Instead, a doctor will now make a small puncture on the skin of the scrotum to stretch the skin and see inside. The doctor will then cut (with a scissor or other instrument) and seal the vas deferens. As such, it is still a “snip that makes men squirm.”

The marketing strategies used to convince men to have vasectomy has hardly made a dent on male aversion towards the procedure. One strategy was trying to convince men that it was only fair that men share in family planning instead of putting the burden on the women. Another message was that men who get vasectomies are ideal men who love their partners. The latest campaign tried to convince men that women found men sexy and masculine if they get vasectomies. The reason why these campaigns failed in the Philippines is obvious. They failed to understand their target audience.

Perhaps, it is time to think of new ways to promote the program. There are some who say that we need to give more incentives for men to get the procedure.

Some groups have advocated giving cash incentives, groceries, shirts, tote bags, medical benefits, and priority in government jobs to men who undergo the procedure. There are some who have gone further in suggesting a program which was tested in the United States.

In July 2017, a judge in the state of Tennessee gave inmates a unique way to reduce their sentences. The judge issued an order which permitted male inmates to have their sentences reduced by thirty days if they chose to undergo a vasectomy. He gave the idea of cutting your jail time a new meaning. With our jails overflowing with inmates and taxing the resources, some say that this method can be easily applied in our country. Although some civil liberties would probably object to this as cruel and unusual punishment, it can be argued that this is not a punishment but an incentive. It is a lot better than mandatory vasectomy, or forced sterilization, which was practiced in the US in the early 20th century and which was recently the topic of a hot debate after abortion was banned.

In the end, vasectomy is clearly a viable option to cut down or manage population. There is, however, a need to examine our present programs and think of more creative solutions.

This is my oblique observation.

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in the foregoing article are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the Philippine News Agency (PNA) or any other office under the Presidential Communications Office.