The vasectomy procedure needs to be normalized as a form of birth control. Women are always expected to take the necessary precautions to prevent pregnancy, such as taking birth control pills or getting an invasive procedure called tubal ligation.

I don’t understand why such a major responsibility should only fall on women when men are also involved in conceiving a child. Women are expected to do so much already. At a young age, we were convinced and groomed to take care of everyone in our household. Women should be the ones raising the children, they should be cleaning and cooking, and they are the ones who have to keep their partner entertained. How are men the foundation of the family when they don’t do shit?

It’s almost as if it isn’t enough that women are harassed on the daily by men with threats of revenge porn and having men dictate what a woman should do with her body; her OWN body. It isn’t fair that men are able to live in a fantasy world because they’re babied by society, but women should know better.

Women aren’t allowed to enjoy anything without someone judging and criticizing them.
She likes having sex? She’s a whore. She leaves her kids at home while she works? She’s a terrible mother.

When I was younger, I remember hearing this really distasteful joke. It went something like this: “you can’t get a soda from a vending machine without putting the coin into the slot.”

Yikes, I know. This joke was used mainly against lesbian women who wanted to raise a child with their partner. Typically, it would be a man telling the joke; of course. Not only is this joke extremely homophobic, but it’s also really hypocritical.

If a woman has an unexpected pregnancy, it’s automatically her fault for not taking the extra precautions while the man remains innocent for some reason. What happened to the coin in the slot, buddy? Both parties should (and need) to be held accountable when it comes to an unexpected pregnancy.

Don’t forget it takes someone with a uterus nine months to have a baby, but a man can easily impregnate someone else during those nine months. Women are not, and never were the problem. If men got the vasectomy procedure as a form of birth control, it would definitely lower the risk of unwanted pregnancies.

According to Dr. Paviz Kavoussi, of the Urology Care Foundation, getting the vasectomy procedure is the most effective and beneficial form of birth control. “This procedure does not affect the enjoyment of sex and is minimally invasive… [It] can be reversed if necessary with a vasectomy reversal,” Kavoussi said.

Tubal ligation is also known as “getting your tubes tied.” With this procedure, the fallopian tubes are blocked and tied off during surgery. It is a permanent form of birth control that is 99% effective. Unlike tubal ligation, one of the benefits of the vasectomy is that it is easily reversible.

According to the John Hopkins Medicine, tubal ligation can cause damage to the organs inside the abdomen and an infection due to the incision which can start bleeding. This is a common occurrence in women who receive this procedure.

According to Fertility and Sterility, Female sterilization in the U.S. is more common than male sterilization despite vasectomies being extremely less invasive and just as effective.

Vasectomies, just like birth control pills, are mostly covered by health insurance. Planned Parenthood also does low-cost vasectomies for people without healthcare.

There are obviously disadvantages to vasectomies, like bruising, swelling, and infection. Those downsides are extremely minor, and temporary, compared to the very permanent disadvantages for women taking birth control or getting tubal ligation.

According to Planned Parenthood, the most common risk from receiving the vasectomy procedure is an infection that is treatable with antibiotics. Whereas tubal ligation can cause potentially permanent pain in your lower abdomen, and fainting spells.

Many women also report they have post-tubal ligation syndrome, which makes the side effects even worse. Post-tubal ligation syndrome, also known as PTLS, is the way a woman’s body reacts to the procedure. It can cause hormonal issues that mimic menopause.

Tubal ligation isn’t the only form of birth control that can be harmful to a woman’s body in the long-run. Mirena IUD is a method of birth control that is inserted inside the uterus. If there is an infection with the IUD, the body will produce scar tissue around the IUD on the uterine wall to protect the rest of the body from infection, making it extremely uncomfortable for women when they need to get it removed. Not only can this form of birth control cause great discomfort, but the scarring in the uterus can also cause infertility and pregnancy loss.

The vasectomy procedure takes no more than 20 minutes at your primary doctor’s office or even at Planned Parenthood.

Come on, guys. Women already have to worry about so much because of the expectation society pushes onto us. The least you can do is get a small procedure that is reversible, to help take one less thing off our minds and our shoulders.