Planned Parenthood recently expanded vasectomy services in Juneau and will soon be bringing the service to Fairbanks, officials said, as the provider sees increased interest in the procedure in the wake of the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
The service, which has already been available in Anchorage, is a form of permanent birth control for men that has gained new popularity in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court decision on abortion access. Mack Smith, the communications manager at Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, said that for some it’s an “act of love” as their partners face reduced health care access.
“I’ve gotten a chance to talk to some folks who’ve made that decision post-Roe,” she said, “and something I’ve heard from folks is that it really was a decision of wanting a partner not to be concerned about getting pregnant post the Roe decision and the environment we’re in right now.”
Several Republican-led states have enacted harsh restrictions on abortion care that have resulted in many headlines about the disastrous outcomes for people with complications during pregnancy.
While abortion and birth control remain legal in Alaska because the Alaska Constitution’s strong privacy clause includes the right to health care decisions, they’re not always accessible. This year, the Alaska Legislature heard House Bill 17 that would require insurance companies to cover 12 months of contraceptives. It garnered strong support from people who said living and working in remote and rural Alaska made the shorter cycles allowed under current law difficult to keep prescriptions filled.
The vasectomy services will be offered bimonthly at the Planned Parenthood offices in Fairbanks and Juneau, said Deb Gregoire, area service director for Planned Parenthood. The procedure itself can be short as 20 minutes with two to three days of discomfort, she said, with a follow-up about three months later to ensure it worked. She said some financial aid can be offered depending on a case-by-case basis.
As for the decision to get a vasectomy, Gregoire stressed that it’s important for people to be fully informed about the permanent procedure. Even though the appointments are only offered on a bimonthly basis, she recommended that people considering the procedure come in for a consultation ahead of time.
Now is the time to add that because access is our number one priority, always for all of us,” she said. “We have also heard from our patients that they’ve been desiring that service from us. … We always want to provide as many options as possible for our patients to make choices, and it’s really part of a full spectrum of birth control options.”
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Twitter.
