Vasectomies on the rise following Roe v. Wade decision: local doctor

INDIANAPOLIS — The future of abortion in Indiana remains unclear after the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe vs. Wade last week.

It remains legal in Indiana for now, but a special legislative session next month could bring changes to the law in the wake of the Supreme Court's opinion.

In the days following that historic ruling, an Indianapolis doctor says he's seen a surge in inquiries about men considering getting a vasectomy.

"I never really made the connection before, but it makes sense," Dr. Donald Snyder said.

Snyder has been practicing medicine for 20 years and says he's performed nearly 55,000 vasectomies in that time.

On Friday, when Roe. v Wade was overturned, Snyder says he noticed a significant increase in the number of inquiries his office was receiving about performing vasectomies.

"This was just the thing that pushed them to act," said Snyder. "In a few recent cases, they have mentioned that Roe v. Wade was one of the things that prompted them to do that. That they already were sure they didn't want any kids and that did take away one of their options to ensure that would happen."

Snyder says he normally gets around 20 patients registered for a vasectomy each week, but since Friday he's received at least 80 requests.

Not only has the number of requests increased, but Snyder says the demographic of the patients he's receiving requests from has also shifted. Prior to the Supreme Court's ruling, Snyder said his patients were typically men in their 30s who had already fathered at least two children.

Since last week, many of the requests Snyder says his office is receiving have come from men in their 20s.

Snyder says due to the influx of patients he estimates he will snip over a thousand men this year.