Vasectomy
Sir: Congratulations to Robert Chartham (Letters, 24 April)
who suggests that stored semen and AIH could get over vasectomy difficulties of the irrever- sibility of the operation. When the test-tube baby controversy arose last year I realised immediately that vasectomy would be then an ex- tremely valuable contraceptive des- pite the horrific nature of the idea. Let no one underrate this proce- dure. Double the world population by 2000 must be like Calais in- delibly fixed in our minds. Vasec- tomy like the pill and loop is only a method, but when people have the birth control motive (nuclear fami- ly concept) they still fail because of the disadvantages of side-effects or human error which comes in many guises. Moreover as we linger on, the prostaglandins draw near. As an open-minded obstetrician said at a recent meeting he knows these would pass the buck of deci- sion about abortion back to the OP because operations would no longer be needed. He feared, however, their impact morally—sleeping around, vo, divorce. If however vasectomy could be established as an easy and reproductively rever- sible procedure prior to the market- ing of prostaglandins it would be easier for governments to be sticky about their use. When considering vasectomy, therefore, we should not only consider the convenience it implies to millions of happily mar- ried couples, the possibilities along with semen banks it carries to help curb teeming third world popula- tions. but also that it might nip in the bud attempts at an easy form of abortion on demand which would then otherwise be out of control of Parliament being, like pot. available on a black market. But when will AIH be available?
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