When Is It Time for the Big Snip?

Children are a blessing. No doubt they require a lot of attention and responsibility but raising them is fulfilling. Many couples feel their lives would not be complete without the delightful laughter of a child being tickled, or the warm fuzzy feeling you get watching your newborn napping serenely in bed.

But how do you know when you’re done having children? Is one enough, does he or she need a sibling, or two? And who should take the responsibility for family planning? Is a vasectomy ever an option for Namibian men?

A vasectomy is a surgical procedure that prevents the release of sperm when a man ejaculates, which prevents women from getting pregnant. Although the vas deferens in men is clamped, sealed or cut, it will still take a few months for the sperm count to reduce to zero.

This method is pretty permanent and most men who are willing to undergo this procedure do so only when they are certain that they do not want any more children.

Stefanus Anuseb feels that it’s only fair for men to make such a decision. “If women can undergo bilateral tubal ligation (BTL) to prevent pregnancy, men too should be willing to have vasectomy done. It’s actually selfish that women put in more effort to prevent pregnancy while men distance themselves from it. Relationships are about making sacrifices, and as long as this is done with the mutual agreement from both parties (like in the case of BTL) I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

Is the modern Namibian man open to this?

“If I already have a child with my wife and we don’t want children any more, nothing would prevent me from having a vasectomy. It’s also a type of family planning. A mature relationship with good communication always makes proper decisions,” Gerhardt Salvdor said.

Elaborating on the science of it all, Frank Sparks shared his opinion on why this could possibly be an option for him in future. “Since a vasectomy does not interfere with the production of male sex hormone (testosterone), I would go for it as soon as my partner and I reach our target number of children.”

Rhroeshdee McGray thought reaching the target amount of children was the best thing to do before getting a vasectomy. “Yes, sure, I will. Gladly.”

Theron Musweu Kolokwe offered an interesting point about when it was best to stop having children – poverty. “The world has changed. A large family is no longer the blessing it once used to be; in fact, it is now a trap into poverty. Yes, I do think about it and when it becomes necessary, I will not hesitate.”

Offering a woman’s opinion on the matter, Charlotte Cloete felt it was was all about being responsible. “Some men need to have one. At least they will shoot blanks instead of being irresponsible fathers.”

Some people believe that their futures are uncertain, especially with regards to their relationships with their current partners or spouses, therefore they would not consider such permanent procedures, no matter how many children they already have. After all, men can still father children well into old age and the issue of being able to sire a child is so intrinsically linked to their feelings of virility that many men do not see this as an option.

While the idea of not being able to have children is appealing to some, others have found it wrong acts as it is working against ‘God’s plan’. On the basis of religion and African culture, Jamesbond Katambo is someone who believes that things like vasectomies should not be done.

“A vasectomy is not for men. That’s why God said be fruitful and multiply. A man’s character is defined by how many children he has and continues to make.”

Expressing that the Western world would disagree and people were “brain washed”, Katambo stood by his word. “That is why they are unable to carry out the tasks from the Creator to make sure our generation continues. On the other hand, vasectomies could hugely increase rates of HIV infections.”

Edmund Angula said: “No way. That is not God’s plan for us, but to be fruitful and multiply. That’s just Satan’s way of getting us to go against God’s will. So no. Let’s God’s will be done”.

There are plenty of men who believe that a man is a man when he has children, as said by Aron Mitte: “I don’t know about white people but for us blacks, a man is only a man if he can make children. A car that is not roadworthy is called a skoroskoro, not a car.”

And there were more men who felt this way. “The responsibility of men on earth is nothing else other than having children. To me it’s abnormal for a man to decide to go for such an operation. In simple terms, manhood is determined by having children,” Matthew Novoah said.

Others believed that this process was a bit too drastic for pregnancy prevention.

“Contraceptives are available to those who don’t want children. Why risk it with a procedure that can’t be reversed?” Carlito Spencer enquired.

What other reason could there be for deciding against vasectomies? Enly Nangolo shared his view with a story: “Think about this. Couples get married at 26 and reach their target number of children at the age of 35. God calls upon his lovely wife at the age of 37, so the situation will force this poor man to marry again, even after having a vasectomy. He will not be able to provide children to his second wife and it might affect his marriage. Some decisions have future effects that we don’t know about so I say no to vasectomy.”

Daniel Mussore thought the bigger question was about going through a permanent fertility operation to prevent unwanted babies: “There will always be a need to have your own biological children at some point in life. What if the children you have now suddenly die a month after this medical procedure? That’s the bigger question. Rubbers are around. Use them!”

In a woman’s opinion, Natasha Malulu felt the issue was multi-faceted.

“The population is depleting. Women who have been using contraceptives are now failing to give birth. Preventing to make babies will not prevent you from getting diseases.”