It’s been over two years now since I decided to get a vasectomy and I’ve never looked back. A few times I have been saddened when I was told the world needs me to have kids or when a girl was not interested in me because I can’t make a baby. However, in those rare moments I remember why I decided to do what I did and am quickly reassured it was the right choice for me. Today I share with you why I did what so few people of my age have dared to do in hopes of shedding light on a topic that is frequently brushed under the rug.

1. Almost every girl I’ve ever dated has suffered from depression or anxiety due to hormone imbalance from birth control. I decided I didn’t want to put anyone I love through that so I took on the role of birth control myself.

2. I think birth control is an equal responsibility of the man and the woman. In my mind, men and women are equal on all planes. Sure, there are some big differences between our genders, but one could not exist without the other and responsibility should lie equally on both genders. I can have a simple snip done or my female counterpart can take a daily pill, deal with a plastic ring in her vagina, wear a patch on her butt, or any of the similar measures that exist. All of these being more time and energy consuming measures than my procedure. Also female birth control takes money and both the man and woman should equally pay for that. (For any woman wanting long-term birth control, the IUD is the best option I have found and lasts up to 12 years.)

3. I don’t support the pharmaceutical industry. Besides the negative affects many women directly suffer because of birth control, the world is suffering from the pharmaceutical industry. The toxins cause negative impacts in our bodies and that impact continues when it’s flushed into our water systems, affecting humans, animals, and our natural environment. The health and well being of humankind should not be a profitable venture, yet the pharmaceutical industry is a billion or trillion dollar industry. Priorities are often skewed when money is that big of a factor and it doesn’t seem that the true health of our citizens is the number one priority. I do think there is a place for western medicine, especially for emergencies, but as it is currently being used I choose not to support it where possible.

4. People sometimes tell me that I’m exactly the type of guy that should be having children because I can raise them to make the world a better place. My mission is exactly that, to make the earth a happier, healthier place for all of us, but I don’t need my own children to do that. Instead, I am dedicating my time to educating and inspiring the masses to treat each other and our earth with respect. Let’s take for example some teachers who help raise hundreds or thousands of children in their classrooms. Those teachers don’t need children of their own in order to have a positive impact because every child is their child. I feel the same way.

5. There are just a lot of other things I’d rather do than have kids. That’s a good enough reason in itself for me.

6. There is no shortage of people on earth. The population is currently at 7 billion people and growing rapidly. Every second 5 people are born and only 2 people die. Our exploding population could make things a lot more challenging in the future and already seems to be doing so. I don’t feel a need to add onto the population myself. I do want to be clear that I think raising a child is an incredibly beautiful thing and I have the utmost respect for parents who have dedicated their lives to raising great people and doing it in a manner that is environmentally friendly. We need children and we need intelligent, caring children. Thank you to all who are currently or have raised these people!

7. I don’t want to create trash anymore. The birth control industry creates a lot of trash from the condoms and their wrappers to the plastic packages of the pills and similar products. This stuff all ends up in landfills or, worse yet, on our streets and in our waterways. I’m trying to live a life free of garbage and this is one very small part of that lifestyle. There are 100’s of ways I’ve chosen to stop making trash.

8. The decision is reversible. I highly doubt I will ever get a vasectomy reversal but if I decide to, success rates say my odds of being able to conceive is at least 50% with some doctors claiming a 95% success rate.

9. My insurance covered it. Even without insurance the procedure is very affordable, ranging from $300 to $900 on average. It’s a heck of a lot cheaper than raising a child or a few decades of female birth control.

10. There are alternative ways to have a child. If I ever have a child I would rather adopt and help a child that is in despair. However, if I decide to have my own child there is always in utero and in vitro. As I’ve come to understand, the reasons to freeze sperm have lessened because doctors can go in with a very thin needle to pull sperm out. That’s good information to have but I doubt I’ll ever take that course of action either.

11. It doesn’t affect my sex life. Well, unless you take into account that it has made my sex life better. The vasectomy procedure simply cuts the vas deferens, which prevent the sperm from meeting the semen during ejaculation. The semen still comes out in an orgasm and that makes up about 95% of the ejaculation. The human body still produces sperm and it is constantly reabsorbed by the body as it does not leave the testes during ejaculation. The orgasm is the same and the ejaculation is the same in every way.

That’s it. That’s why I got a vasectomy. I’m not telling anyone else to get a vasectomy or that it is the solution to all of our world problems. However, it is an option for those who don’t want children of their own and I wanted to share my personal experience and thoughts. Although this is a separate issue I also feel the need to discuss STD’s a little bit here.

I strongly encourage anyone having sex to take all necessary responsibilities to prevent contracting or spreading STD’s. Using protection such as condoms is an obvious means of preventing STD’s but it goes much deeper than that. Having just one sexual partner that you are open and honest with is a great means for avoiding STD’s. If there is a need to, both you and your partner can be checked and share the results on paper with each other to be certain that you are both free of an STD. Honesty is absolutely necessary in sexual relationships and obviously having sex with someone else and then with your partner puts them at risk. I encourage you to be true to the words you speak with your partner. Judgment and education are also great tools to prevent STD’s and in my opinion are more important tools than condoms because you can still get an STD with the use of condoms. There are demographics that are at higher risk of STD’s, which includes people who use needles for drugs or have compromised immune systems. Be conscious of this. Avoiding alcohol and drugs is also an intelligent way to avoid STD’s as they are often involved with lack of judgement that leads to STD’s. Consciousness, rational thinking, self control, and proper judgment are extremely important in sex and in every facet of life. I encourage you to practice all of these skills. The most effective way of preventing an STD or accidental pregnancy is to not have sex. For my younger audience I’d like to share with you that I graduated from high school before having sex. I was 19 my first time and I encourage you to wait until you are emotionally ready and with a caring partner. There are so many meaningful and purposeful ways to spend our lives other than pursuing and having sex.