Heterosexual men of Canada, it’s time for your vasectomy! That’s the message from women’s rights group, Sperm Free Society (SFS). They want men to drop their pants and pick up the responsibility for birth control.
“We’ve come up with a checklist,” said Deb Slater, president of the Canada East chapter of SFS. “Are you over 40? Do you have one or more children? In the past, have you relied on a woman for birth control? If you answered yes to these questions, it’s time for your vasectomy!”
The checklist features prominently in the SFS print campaign Yes to Three? It’s Time for Your Vasectomy! The group purchased ad space in Maxim magazine, banner space on TSN.ca and store space above beef jerky displays in Canadian Tire.
“We’re trying to get the attention of our target market,” Slater explained. “The group considered advertising in typically female spaces, but then women would have to convince their partners to get vasectomies. And we all know it has to be his idea.”
Although the snip is faster, cheaper, easier, and safer than a tubal ligation, more women than men are sterilized in Canada every year. To put the procedures in perspective, surgery in hospital is required for a woman to have her tubes tied. Recovery time for women is one to three weeks. A vasectomy, on the other hand, is a 20-minute office procedure done under local anesthesia. After two days with a frozen bag of peas, most men are good to go.
“Seems like an obvious choice, right?” asked Slater. “But some men feel vasectomies are emasculating. They want to be able to have kids until they die. Let’s get real. Older fathers aren’t getting down on the floor to play with a baby or chasing after a toddler . Plus, no teenager wants to introduce friends to their 70-year-old dad.”