Out of Work? Get a. . .Vasectomy?

Everyone is incredibly worried about the nation's economy-duh. I was talking to my dad on the phone the other day and he told me that he just filled out my FAFSA and does not think we will be seeing much financial aid, if any, next year. More high school seniors will surely be attending state schools as at private colleges and universities tuition rates continue to soar. Additionally, we are all awaiting the increase in gas prices as the summer travel season approaches. People everywhere have been cutting back on their expenditures as Oct. 2008 marked one of the worst months in Wall Street history. Gas prices are obvious, but now the financial crisis has gone deeper by affecting aspects of peoples' lives such as contraception.

Urologist Dr. Stephen Jones' Cleveland Clinic has recorded a 50 percent increase in the number of vasectomies since November (which, by no coincidence, follows October, one of the economy's worst months of all time). Why a vasectomy? Because it is the cheapest and most non-invasive form of permanent birth control available. Jones told CNN.com that his patients "realize they don't have the financial security, long-term, with what's going on. Several of them have mentioned, 'We can't afford to have any more children in this economy.' My perception is that it's more of the concept of raising children in an uncertain economic future." Many people have or are about to lose their jobs or are concerned about their health insurance coverage. Surely another child would only increase their stress.

This is not the first time that the economy has played a significant role in the birth rate. CNN.com also reported that the National Center for Health Statistics' data showed that, "During bad economic times, the Depression and the recession in the 1970s, the birth rate did go down." Carl Haub, a demographer with the Population Reference Bureau told www.CNN.com that, "Some folks will postpone having kids. If you had a vasectomy, you've made a bigger decision that you're never going to have another child." When people stop having children, it implies a loss of confidence in their future employment prospects." Haub also stated that it is too early to tell whether or not the recession has in fact crippled the birth rate.

My high school guidance counselor told me that 1989, the year that of this year's freshmen and sophomore class members were born, was a year that many population analysts considered the "second baby boom." This "baby boom," much like its predecessor that stemmed from the aftermath of World War II, was largely due to the nation's optimistic outlook on the economy's future. He told me that it was because of this that last year's application process was the most competitive ever. But what will happen if there is a noticeable decrease in births in 2008 and 2009? What will this increase in sterilization mean for high school seniors in 2026? Will John Doe with a class rank of 200 out of 300 and a GPA of 2.2 get into a school like Providence College which today typically accepts students who are in the top 25 percent of their class with an average GPA of 3.5 or higher. Perhaps because there will be a lack of students, there will be less colleges. Maybe the middle will be cut out entirely and only Ivy League and state schools will be necessary.

Haub also stated that it is typically lower-income clients who are looking into sterilization. This seems to go against everything I have ever known about the Welfare System. I always thought that having more children would increase the amount of aid that a family receives. Therefore, why would they want to stop reproducing? Perhaps Welfare's assistance has been insufficient or they fear that they will no longer be eligible due to the dire straits of others. However, many of the patients have been wealthy. Dr. Marc Goldstein, a urologist in New York, has had a lot of vasectomy clients who work in the financial sector. Goldstein told www.CNN.com that some of the men have mentioned that, "'It costs $30,000 a year to put my kids in private school and I can't afford to have another one.' It's never the sole reason, but it's certainly a contributing factor." Are people materialistic enough to forego having children just to live a more desirable lifestyle?

These thoughts frighten me and I am very concerned for the future of our nation. Perhaps our problem here is not so much an economic crisis but rather an ethical struggle.