why aren't vasectomies controversial?

[ibegurpard]

As to whether they are covered by insurance (religious institution-provided or not) I do not know. You just never hear this being discussed in terms of morality.

[Scuba]

1. As the old saying goes, "if men had menstrual periods...

... tampons would be free."

[trumad]

2. And if Men got pregnant...

you can have an abortion at Texaco.

[11 Bravo]

20. And there would be a "Largest Clot" contest at halftime of the Super Bowl.

[Tsiyu]

38. [phone]

[FarCenter]

36. The menstrual cycle is one of the better arguments against "intelligent design"

[Scuba]

42. Not that intelligent to run a toxic waste line through a recreation area.

[Frustratedlady]

3. I've been asking the same...as well as Viagra...is that covered?

Man up, men!

[ibegurpard]

4. not sure about viagara but a vasectomy seems more relevant

and what's the procedure where women get their tubes tied called? Why aren't these procedures slammed on like other methods of birth control?

[Tennessee Gal]

10. tubal ligation

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. If by 'slammed', you mean 'banned by the Catholic hierarchy', then they are

Humanae Vitae:

Equally to be condemned, as the magisterium of the Church has affirmed on many occasions, is direct sterilization, whether of the man or of the woman, whether permanent or temporary.

http://catholic.christianityinview.com/morals.html

Like other methods of birth control, typical Catholics pay no attention to this. But the Bishops hate it just as much as the pill, IUDs etc.

[CTyankee]

24. well, because it would invade a man's right to privacy!

oh, wait....

[hedgehog]

28. You mean "bodily mutilation"? That's the reasoning behind the

ban on tubal litigation or vasectomy. Trust me, as a mother of six (all dearly wanted buy the way!), I got a thing or two to tell you about bodily mutilation!

[Voice for Peace]

21. pretty sure viagra gets covered by insurance -- I heard this some years back. nt

[Liquorice]

27. Impotence drugs are usually covered by insurance. That should be part of

any headline about the debate over birth control being covered. Viagra is widely used as a recreational drug as well, and apparently the Catholic church has no objections at all to that.

In Foster Friess time, maybe women held aspirin between their knees for contraception, but old men who couldn't get it up anymore had to stop having sex. Now these men pop a pill covered by insurance, while women are still holding the aspirin between their knees.

[Maine-ah]

35. hell yeah!

[Edweird]

5. I'm looking at getting one. At a little over $600 I don't care whether it's covered or not -

it's still a bargain. I am more than happy to pay in full, in cash. As far as 'controversy' goes, I couldn't possibly care less one way or the other. I do as I choose.

[safeinOhio]

7. Make sure you do a lot of research first.

Mine caused some unexpected consequences that I now suffer.

[Edweird]

8. Care to elaborate?

PM me if you aren't comfortable using the forum.

[BOHICA12]

39. Sorry to hear that ...

clipped, tied, and fried for 20 years here.

[Scuba]

14. I had a vasectomy. No problems so far, but...

... it's only been 36 years.

[davidpdx]

45. Since it would be elective surgery I would guess no

I had mine about 14 years ago and have never had a problem.

[Edweird]

48. I assumed that but the website does talk about insurance, so....

I'm fine with it either way. I'll gladly pay the 6-something or happily pay a co-pay.

[davidpdx]

50. Wow is it that much?

It was below three hundred when I had mine. Get some icepacks. You'll need them for about a week due to blueballs.

[lunatica]

6. If they could use it as a wedge issue it would assuredly by controversial

But men making choices has always been OK. That is, as long as they aren't gay men, of course.

[undeterred]

25. You mean a wedgie issue.

[lunatica]

30. I wish someone would yank a wedgie on them

LOL!

[handmade34]

9. vasectomies aren't controversial

because men control it...

[SammyWinstonJack]

13. Bingo! nt

[WillowTree]

11. The Church doesn't view male sterilization any differently than female sterilizations.

Neither is approved of.

[Aerows]

12. Because it's a man making the decision n/t

[HopeHoops]

16. That's what I keep saying - but hey, that's a "guy" thing.

[saras]

17. There's no way to use vasectomies to oppress women. Doh.

The ONE place vasectomies are controversial are when a guy lies about having one, and the courts say tough shit, lady.

[shcrane71]

18. Also, how often have doctors required a wife's permission prior to a vasectomy?

I've heard of countless times, even in this "modern" age, of release forms needing to be signed by husbands prior to a woman getting a hysterectomy.

[kestrel91316]

22. I dated a guy who couldn't get a vasectomy in Orange Co, CA without

his LIVE-IN GIRLFRIEND'S signature. He tried before they lived together and doctors behind the Orange Curtain wouldn't - so she moved in and signed the papers. This was just a few years ago - since 2000.

[NNN0LHI]

19. My medical coverage through my employer wouldn't pay for it in the mid-1970's

And when I inquired why that was the case I was told it was that way because of the Catholic Church.

Don

[treestar]

32. Maybe that is why they expect to have that power over birth control

What's strange is, they feel the need to try to make it hard to pay for the procedure, as though they cannot trust people, even Catholics, not to get them because they are supposed to be wrong under their religious tenets.

[phylny]

23. My husband's wasn't covered under insurance, but back then (20 years ago) it was $300

and we paid it gladly.

I would have happily had a tubal, but our baby was born at a Catholic hospital. My OBGYN (a man) told me, "Have your husband get a vasectomy. It's cheaper and safer." So we did.

I always thought it was stupid for insurance companies not to cover birth control or sterilization, since less kids meant less to cover, but what do I know?

[Rex]

26. Men control virtually everything in this country.

Women are still very far away from reaching the goal of equality and many a man 'in power' knows that and wants to delay that from happening for as long as possible. Whenever I use the PTB it does not include any woman I can think of in that institutionalized, power-control structure. Women have not 'made it' there yet, maybe simply for the reason it would be new competition IOW bad for business for a Good O Boys club.

People sometimes assume women have made it in the M$M, but they were all hired by men. If women controlled the media (which to do so they would have to control many other things first) you might see vasectomies more in the news. I doubt it and we will never know. All we can do is speculate how things would be.

Another reason, men control everything.

[XemaSab]

29. Among hyper-fundies they are

There are quite a few men who get reversals and have more kids in the super-duper fundie crowd.

[treestar]

31. Good point

Should be equally "sinful" as birth control.

[Missy Vixen]

33. Vasectomies are covered by health insurance

Vasectomies are also typically not a topic of conversation among anyone else but spouses.

IMHO.

[FarCenter]

34. After a little googling, it appears that some insurance covers and some does not

So check with your insurance company as to whether it is covered.

My recollection (now dim and hazy) is that it was not covered. (Although maybe it was below the deductible -- back then health insurance was insurance for large, unexpected expenses, rather than prepaid routine medical care.)

[Cherchez la Femme]

37. Easy!

Because it's the man's choice -- it's the man's control.

[Turn CO Blue]

40. Well, they USED to be a very, very big deal. The FIL was excommunicated for his vasectomy

by the Catholic church. Actually, the mother-in-law was excommunicated as well. This was here north of Denver about 40 years ago. So the priests move at a glacial pace, but maybe they have moved a bit on this one subject...because they don't seem to be making a big deal out of this being such a big sin anymore or over insurance covering this procedure. But give the old farts a couple of minutes to think about it, and they'll start another battle on this issue and make it another war against women vicariously through men.

I consider my own husband's vasectomy as our final decision on our family planning to be a major win for my own (womanly) health and the hubby agreed - that is why he went through it even though he would rather have his fingernails pulled out than to see a doctor for anything especially about THAT

[Motown_Johnny]

41. pre conception

they are all focused on post conception birth control

[SoCalDem]

43. Because oftentimes, it's the "easiest" sterilization for a couple

especially if the reason FOR the sterilization is because another pregnancy for the woman is life-threatening, it makes sense to take the easiest route..

Truth-be-told, many men are still not willing to do it, so the woman has to have a tubal ligation.

I don't know if it's different these days, but it used to be an office visit sort of thing, with some discomfort for a while, but not as big of a deal or as expensive as surgery on the woman.,

[muriel_volestrangler]

44. Can anyone point to an instance of Catholic inistitutions paying for vasectomies but not the pill?

There seems to be an assumption in this thread that they do. I have seen no evidence for that; but people seem to be ignoring either examples where vasectomies were condemned by the church (eg #40), or quotes that they are 'forbidden' (eg #15). Here's another:

Catholic health care organizations and other affiliated groups are prohibited from providing or supporting services that prevent or substitute for fertilization by sexual intercourse, according to the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.

Banned services include contraception (including so-called morning-after drugs), sterilization (such as fallopian tubectomy or vasectomy), artificial insemination, surrogate motherhood and abortion (under any circumstances).

http://www.kjonline.com/news/Maine-diocese-leading-fight-against-new-birth-control-rule-.html

Maybe vasectomies aren't turning up in the coverage so much because unwanted pregnancies affect the woman far more (especially from the health point of view), so people are concentrating on the health choices the woman makes.

[pstokely]

46. because it's a man's choice

nt

[davidpdx]

47. No and it's kind of sad that it isn't

I knew at a young age I didn't want to have children. It was my personal decision. Some people consider that crazy. I know I don't have the patients to be a parent and made the decision to prevent that from ever happening. Not everyone is meant to have children. There are plenty of other things you can do with you life besides that. I've traveled around the world and have lived and worked in 2 different countries and am working on doctoral. Again I'm not saying having children is right or wrong, but should be taken as a personal choice and responsibility.

[SwampG8r]

49. i remember mine was very controversial

and then the liquid valium kicked in and i stopped argueing