
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">More and more women are considering sterilization surgery following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn <em>Roe v. Wade. ;</em></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The June 24th ruling &#8211; which was exposed by a leak in May &#8211; revoked the constitutional right to abortion granted to women in 1973 and sent the issue into the hands of state lawmakers. ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Within a week, Google searches for female sterilization, tubes tied surgery, fallopian tube removal, tubal ligation, and salpingectomy had surged. ;Doctors also reported an increase in the number of men seeking vasectomies. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Abortion bans are in place in eight states and are in the works in four states. </strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Five states passed abortion bans that were blocked by courts and three states allow abortion up to six weeks. ;</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Dr. Michelle Muldrow, an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) in San Antonio, TX, says the number of women coming into her office to discuss sterilization is like nothing she has ever seen. ;&#8220;I’ve had more consultations for sterilization in volume per patient load than I’ve ever had in my career,” said Muldrow, whose name appears on a list of doctors willing to conduct sterilization surgery on patients as young as 21. “Never before have I seen so many women in such a panic or state of anxiety about their bodies and their reproductive rights…They feel like this is their only option.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Female sterilization surgery, commonly referred to as &#8220;getting your tubes tied,&#8221; involves cutting, blocking, or removing the fallopian tubes. Unlike vasectomies, female sterilization surgery is permanent and irreversible. ;</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Many of the women seeking sterilization after <em>Roe v. Wade</em> seem to view it as a way of maintaining control over their bodies.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Because of Roe being overturned, it is causing me to undergo a major surgery and take on the complications and risks that come with it just so that I don&#8217;t have to worry about carrying an unwanted pregnancy,” argues Brandi Shepard, a 26-year-old Ohio native who has been trying to get tubal ligation surgery since she was 21. “I’m pissed. It’s insane that this is what I had to do to maintain bodily autonomy.” ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Ohio currently bans abortions after six weeks and is working on a bill to outlaw abortions and restrict access to birth control. ;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Hannah Morgan, 35, also sought sterilization surgery after the Supreme Court&#8217;s decision. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Abortion’s not an option that most people would consider, but it’s always there as a last resort,” said Hannah. With her home state of Missouri being among the first states to ban abortion, she felt that sterilization was her only option. ;“I can’t rely on anything anymore. I just need something permanent so I don’t have to add this to my list of worries anymore.”</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Catherine, a 27-year-old living in Minnesota, scheduled a consultation to discuss sterilization after the court&#8217;s decision even though abortion remains legal in her home state. “I thought, well, now is as good a time as ever…I am very afraid of the way things will continue to go because I feel that this is only the beginning.”</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Julie Ann Nitsch, a Texas resident and survivor of sexual assault, decided to get sterilized so she would not be forced to give birth if she becomes pregnant after a future assault. “I ripped my organs out” to avoid that, said Nitsch. “It’s sad to think that I can’t have kids, but it’s better than being forced to have children.”</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Another impact of the court&#8217;s decision is a severe hesitation among doctors to provide treatment to pregnant women &#8211; even in cases where ectopic pregnancy threatens the woman’s life. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Some physicians have even stopped prescribing <em>methotrexate</em> (a drug used to relieve debilitating symptoms of lupus) because it could theoretically be used to induce miscarriage. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“The art of medicine is lost and actually has been replaced by fear,” laments Dr. Jessian Munoz, another OB-BYN working in San Antonio. With the decision on<em> Roe v. Wade</em>, physicians are struggling to identify the moment at which a patient with a complicated pregnancy is “sick enough” to undergo surgery.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“We physically watched her get sicker, and sicker, and sicker,” said Munoz of a recent patient who developed a womb infection during a miscarriage. The doctors were forced to wait until they could no longer detect a fetal heartbeat to perform surgery, which saw the patient lose liters of blood and develop severe complications. “All because we were essentially 24 hours behind.”</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Sources:</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://nypost.com/2022/07/13/young-women-trying-to-get-sterilized-after-overturning-of-roe/">‘Frustrated’ young women are trying to get sterilized after overturning of Roe ;</a></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-07-19/women-sterilization-roe-vs-wade">More women are seeking sterilization since Roe vs. Wade was overturned ;</a></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/us-abortion-laws-repercussions-1.6522965">Choosing sterilization, delaying treatment: Medical choices in the US are changing amid new abortion laws ;</a></p>

Dramatic Increase in Women Seeking Sterilization After Roe v. Wade
Young female surgeon in a mask and gown putting on disposable surgical gloves before going in to theatre isolated on white