TUCSON — After his vasectomy when he was 24 years old, Alex Baker emailed the paperwork to legislators in Arizona.
“I told them, you know this is the byproduct of your legislation," he said. "If we want to talk about the unborn as a existing entity, they deserve better than being brought into the world in a human vessel that in the case of my genetic disorder could leave them blind in both eyes and dead of pediatric cancer before the age of ten.”
He has a genetic disorder called PTEN hamartoma and doesn't want to pass it on to children. He also decided as a teenager, he wanted to live a child-free life.
So when legislation in Arizona and neighboring states began to restrict abortions, he decided to get a vasectomy. Baker isn't alone in this decision.
The rate of young people and single people getting vasectomies has risen significantly over the past two years in the United States. The Journal of Urology released a study May 15 showing that since the United States Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe V. Wade in Dobbs V. Jackson in June of 2022, vasectomy rates have risen in people under 30 years old.
Tucson Urologist Dr. Paul Yurkanin said he's seen this reflected in his practice.
He says he's seeing "men who are not in a committed marriage or other relationship seeking a vasectomy even more than men who are married or in a relationship.”
Cory Shields falls under that category. He's 35 years old and single with two dogs and no children, and he plans on keeping it that way. He recently got a vasectomy.
He said he wants to prioritize his own life instead of taking on the responsibility of raising another person and that is just scratching the surface.
“It’s income inequality, its geopolitics, its climate aspects of stuff," he said. "How am I supposed to raise a kid in that?”
For those considering a vasectomy, Yurkanin does a consultation, explaining the process and any associated risks before the procedure.
