American women opt for sterilization amid reproductive rights battle

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Many American women are opting for sterilization to ensure prevention of unwanted pregnancy amid ongoing concern about abortion access.

Researchers looking at insurance claim data say around 4.8 million American females underwent tubal ligations in 2021 and 2022. The data included 36 states and Washington, D.C.

“At least I don’t have to worry about having a baby,” says Madison Clark, a 24-year-old nursing student from Battle Creek, Michigan, who underwent the removal of her fallopian tubes in September.

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She told the Guardian that she made the drastic move as a fail-safe against any further rollback of reproductive rights. She is one of many American women who has had to make a proactive reproductive decision in the midst of the uncertainty that has unfolded since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Women are seeking permanent sterilization to ensure they will not face unintended pregnancy.

Overturning Roe v Wade results in huge increase in sterilization rate

There was a notable difference in sterilization rates in states — with and without abortion bans — after Roe v. Wade was overturned.

In states that effectively banned abortion, the rate of sterilizations increased significantly. By December 2022, the sterilization rate rose to five per 10,000 women — a 39 per cent increase from the pre-Dobbs average of 3.6 per 10,000 women per month.

However, while there was an initial increase in sterilization rates across all states immediately after Roe v. Wade was overturned, the trend tapered off and became less pronounced in states without abortion bans. States that protected abortion access did not see a statistically significant increase in sterilization rates over the same period.

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Trump’s return prompts increased interest in sterilization

That said, many women rushed to undergo sterilization or switch to long-term, reversible contraception before Trump’s second inauguration.

“The news cycle was a huge, huge reason that I took sterilization seriously and decided to spring into action,” Clark said. “Now, it’s a common conversation between my boyfriend and me: ‘God, at least we don’t have to worry about having to travel to get an abortion, or having to leave the country for one, or even being forced to carry a child, which is the most scary option in all of this.’”

After Trump’s win in November, a North Carolina mother of two felt she needed to so something protect herself before he was installed for his second term.

“We’ve seen him appoint justices who are responsible for overturning Roe, and now he’s coming back into office,” Meagan (last name withheld) told WUNC Public Radio in mid-January.

Moreover, many conservatives have said they want Trump to invoke the Comstock Act — an 1873 law that could be used to stop providers from mailing women the common abortion drug, mifepristone. Megan worries the new Trump administration will also rescind FDA approval of such drugs.

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So, since Meagan and her husband don’t want more children,  she decided to get sterilized so after Trump’s win.

Regret can be part of sterilization process for some young adults

There is a downside to this trend. For young adults, particularly those under 30, regret over the decision to undergo sterilization is likely, say researchers.

However, they insist the procedure should not be denied to young people who are properly informed. The “dignity of risk” suggests their decision should be respected, insist the researchers, even if they feel regret later.

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