That Is a Great Idea

As previously stated, I've been reading I Blame the Patriarchy. I was going through older posts and happened upon this gem inspired by the recent spate of state-mandated rape bills:

Incognotter sent Spinster HQ a nice email expanding on the Do-It-To-The-Men-Instead theme (one of my favorite themes). She says:

I am beginning to think we are fighting for reproductive rights in the wrong way. If the point is to have big-government interventionism that negates bodily sovereignty as a “solution” to a perceived moral problem, then we should neuter all men at puberty and bank their sperm. It could be used consensually for the purpose of reproduction. No more abortion issues, no more birth control issues, much less war on women. If they had to face that they might suddenly reconsider this big invasive bullshit. Can you imagine the reaction to the realization that a woman had to sign her consent to get knocked up?

Twisty praised this idea as elegant, just, and diabolical, but after a couple days I kept coming back to the thought that this is actually a really good, practical solution.

If we step back a level and consider this as a voluntary public health program, it's genius. Male sterilization surgery is a simple, outpatient procedure. It takes 30 minutes, and an hour rest in the doctors office, and then you're done. It's relatively cheap too, and side effects are minor and rare. These days they can do it without making any incision at all. Hey adolescent dudes: one minor surgery and you will never have to worry about accidental pregnancy ever again!

The tricky part is the sperm banking. Currently that service is only offered by high-end for-profit companies, and it can be quite pricey. But I have to believe this is mostly profit. More research is required, but basically what are you paying for besides a labeling system and a deep freezer? Collecting sperm samples is pretty, uh, straightforward.

Besides cost, there is the question of viability. Some sperm do not survive being frozen, and it can be harder to conceive using previously frozen sperm. It seems to me that this could be worked around by storing a good collection of samples, and accepting that some men may have to use donor sperm or adopt (psst: this happens anyway).

Seriously, imagine an organization like Planned Parenthood that would offer, for a nominal fee, a combination of sperm-banking and sterilization to any man over the age of 15. Imagine that the program included some kind of certificate (my husband suggested a ring, which I find an excellent twist on the whole purity ring bullshit). As a woman, you could choose only to have sex with men who had taken responsibility for their own fertility. When you were ready to have kids, you would go together to the clinic to get pregnant.

I still have questions about costs, but I honestly think this is a win-win-win proposal. I can't imagine that most men really enjoy worrying about unplanned pregnancies, and it could make them much more attractive partners. Women would no longer bear sole responsibility for all the consequences of sex, and society would benefit hugely from fewer unplanned pregnancies, less abortion, and (rarely actually discussed) fewer unwanted babies and resentful parents.

Am I nuts? Would men use this service?