Free Planned Parenthood vasectomy appointments fill up fast in Oklahoma as record number of men sign up for ‘the snip’

Appointments for free vasectomies at a Planned Parenthood facility in Oklahoma filled up in less than 48 hours as dozens of men signed up to get ‘the snip.’ 

Up to 100 slots are thought to have been made available at the Oklahoma City clinic, with all slots filled in less than two days, and many more men joined a waitlist.

Staff at the clinic say more men are signing up for procedure because of the state’s political climate, with Governor Kevin Stitt vowing to make Oklahoma the most anti-abortion state in the country. Under current state laws, abortions are illegal after fertilization with very few exceptions.

A vasectomy, which can cost $1,000, is a surgical procedure to sterilize a man in which the vas deferens, the tubes that carry sperm from the testicles to outside the body, are cut in half and sewn shut. 

Men who have the procedure are still able to ejaculate, but their semen no longer contains sperm — removing the risk of a pregnancy.

The free vasectomy offer at the Planned Parenthood Great Plains clinic in Oklahoma City was announced in a post on Facebook, which quickly tallied up more than 6,000 shares and 900 comments.

The vasectomies are scheduled for October 20 and 21 and the men will have to undergo a consultation beforehand to ensure they understand the procedure. 

The clinic did not reveal exactly how many free vasectomies it was carrying out, but in previous cases where other Planned Parenthood clinics have made the offer, one hundred appointments for free vasectomies have been made available.

Emma Wales, who heads up Planned Parenthood Great Plains, told local news channel News 4: ‘Vasectomy is not something that’s often available to people who have few resources, often cost is a barrier.

‘It has meant we have a whole lot of people wanting to get in.’

She added: ‘Right now, a lot of what we’re hearing is that people do have concerns about government over-reach.

‘So, for some people, that does mean that they want to plan for the long term and they do want to know that their contraceptive choices are their own.’

It is believed to be the first time that free vasectomies have been offered by this clinic in Oklahoma.

Men who signed up will first have a phone consultation with a clinic staff member to have the procedure explained, including the process, recovery and the fact that, in most cases, a vasectomy is irreversible.

For the procedure, doctors use a minimally invasive technique called a no-needle, no-scalpel vasectomy.

This is where a small puncture wound is made in the top of the scrotum to allow doctors to reach in and cut the vas deferens before removing a small section and sewing them closed.

This is done while patients are awake and under local anesthetic to numb the area.  It can take around 30 minutes to complete.

A traditional vasectomy is when a small incision with a scalpel is made in the top of the scrotum to allow surgeons to cut the vas deferens.

Dr Esgar Guarin, who carries out vasectomies in his mobile clinic he calls ‘The Nutcracker’, previously said: ‘It’s worse to go to the dentist, I always tell my patients.’

A vasectomy is almost always effective at preventing a pregnancy, while oral contraception is around 91 percent effective.

While a vasectomy is normally irreversible, shortly after a man gets one it may be possible for doctors to successfully re-attach the vas deferens, this window closes within months.

The procedure is also not an instant birth control. Men will likely still have sperm in their semen for up to three months as this it is gradually cleared from the tubes with each ejaculation. 

Vasectomies have been becoming more popular nationwide since Roe v Wade was overturned, with multiple clinics saying they are seeing more men than ever sign up for the procedure.

Data suggests a record number of Americans are now getting ‘the snip,’ while some clinics say they are seeing a rise of young men in their 20s and 30s wanting one. 

And Oklahoma is no exception, with doctors saying they are seeing a spike in demand.

Dr Basel Hassoun, a urologist who runs a clinic in the state, told publication News From The States: ‘We’re seeing more and more vasectomies being done, especially after the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v Wade.’

He added the shift appeared to stem solely from the change in abortion laws in the state.

Oklahoma enacted a law banning virtually all abortions — or abortions after fertilization — in August, with very few exceptions.

Upon signing, Gov Stitt said: ‘I promised Oklahomans that as governor I would sign every piece of pro-life legislation that came across my desk and I am proud to have kept that promise.’

The state’s supreme court overturned part of the ban in March this year, to make it easier for abortions to be done in cases where the mother’s life is at risk.

Many women in the state, which is also one of America’s poorest, will still need to travel to other states to get an abortion, however.

In addition to next month’s Oklahoma event, Planned Parenthood also offered free vasectomies to young uninsured men in Missouri earlier this year for a third time.

A total of 100 procedures were offered to patients across its three locations in honor of World Vasectomy Day.