Rewrite and translate this title ‘It’s the sanest choice’: Young Americans are now turning to sterilisation to Japanese between 50 and 60 characters. Do not include any introductory or extra text; return only the title in Japanese.

Emily* wasn’t surprised when she heard the news that Donald Trump had won the US election. In fact, she was so certain Trump would win, that a few days before the election she contacted her OB-GYN. “I sent her a message about getting salpingectomy [fallopian tube removal] surgery,” she says. “She responded on November 5 and agreed to perform the surgery.”

Emily expects to have the surgery in spring next year – before the operation she will have to get a pelvic ultrasound to check for ovarian cysts or any other possible irregularities, and meet with her OB-GYN to discuss the procedure in more depth – but for now, she’s just happy to have the ball rolling. “I want to get it on the calendar as soon as possible [because] I have a feeling waiting times for those procedures are about to go up.”

Emily isn’t wrong: Google Trends shows that searches for terms relating to permanent contraception such as ‘vasectomy’, ‘tubal ligation’ (a surgical procedure which prevents pregnancy by blocking the fallopian tubes), and ‘tubes tied’ all spiked after it became clear Trump would win in the early hours of November 6.

It’s unsurprising that many young Americans are now attempting to plan for a future where access to contraception or abortion care could suddenly be limited. While Trump has flip–flopped on his stance towards a national abortion ban, it’s clear that he’s certainly no firebrand for reproductive rights. Trump’s Supreme Court appointments ultimately helped pave the way for the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022, and back in 2016 he famously stated that there “has to be some form of punishment” for women who get abortions (he later retracted these comments in a statement, but still stressed he was “pro-life”).

Trump’s election to power in post-Roe America is understandably sparking panic. Some are now stockpiling abortion pills and emergency contraception: Aid Access, the top supplier of abortion pills by mail in the United States, reported receiving more than 5,000 requests for abortion pills in less than 12 hours after Trump’s win was announced – a surge even larger than the day after Roe fell – while the telehealth service Wisp saw a 300 per cent increase in requests for emergency contraception. Others, like Emily, are considering more permanent forms of contraception.

This isn’t the first time a political shift has catalysed interest in permanent contraception either. Interest in vasectomies, tubal ligation, and other sterilisation procedures also rose shortly after the overturn of Roe in summer 2022, when the Supreme Court ruled that access to abortion in the US was not a constitutional right. Shortly after the ruling, many states restricted or completely banned access to abortion care, stripping women of their right to bodily autonomy. Research published by the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this year found that since the reversal of Roe, there has been a significant increase in the number of vasectomies and tubal ligations received by people aged 18 to 30.

Opting for sterilisation is the sanest, most logical choice for me and many women under these circumstances

The situation, to some extent, varies state to state. Thankfully, Emily lives in Ohio, and in 2023 Ohioans voted to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, a measure that protects abortion access until foetal viability (around 22 weeks). But she doesn’t feel as though she’s totally out of the woods. “I’m sure there’s still some fuckery [Trump] could enact to throw up roadblocks, especially with [Republican] control of Congress,” she says, adding that she’s even more “angry and terrified” for people living in states where the right to abortion is not protected.

Francisco, 32, lives in Texas. Abortion laws in Texas are incredibly strict: presently the state bans abortions at all stages of pregnancy, with very limited exemptions. He says he’s now considering getting a vasectomy, adding that he already has one child and is unsure if he is “capable” of caring for more. “Now with a Trump presidency, I need to take care to limit the impact I can make on people’s lives,” he says, adding that as he’s part of a local kink scene he’s conscious that he needs to be careful. “I need to ‘unload the gun’ […] I think getting sterilised is a precautionary measure, because if I go out and have fun, I don’t want to be the reason that someone then has to go through a hellish nightmare.”

Polly*, 25, lives in Tennessee. Like Texas, abortion laws in Tennessee are some of the most restrictive in the US. As Polly has medical issues which mean pregnancy could seriously jeopardise her health, she has ultimately decided that she does not want to have children. “My boyfriend has now called a Nashville urologist and is setting up a consultation to get a vasectomy,” she explains, adding that her boyfriend has no desire to have children either. “With the current state of the world, a vasectomy was our best option.”

26-year-old Charlie* lives in Wisconsin, where abortion is still legal until the 22 week mark (although abortion rights are not enshrined in law as they are in Ohio). They are also worried about the possibility that Trump will restrict access to abortion care, adding that they are planning to have their IUD replaced by Planned Parenthood as soon as possible. Their long-term partner is now looking to get a vasectomy too.

“Before the election, we both had been back and forth on having kids, but after the election, we agreed that this is no world to bring a child into,” they explain. “He said that he would be willing to do it.” They’re yet to make arrangements for the procedure as Charlie’s partner is “currently in school and working two jobs”, which is making it difficult to find the time for the surgery and recovery. “But we will likely look into it in the next few years,” Charlie says. “My partner will be getting a vasectomy eventually.”

Some might argue that sterilisation is an extreme response to Trump’s election, especially when it’s still unclear exactly what changes to abortion policy Trump is planning to bring in. But the news of the Republican victory has evidently been the push many needed to contact their doctors about permanent contraception. And in any case, for those weighing up permanent contraception as an option, in light of Trump’s election it’s a decision which no longer feels that drastic at all. “Extreme times call for extreme measures,” Emily surmises. “Opting for sterilisation is the sanest, most logical choice for me and many others under these circumstances.”

*Name has been changed

Emily* wasn’t surprised when she heard the news that Donald Trump had won the US election. In fact, she was so certain Trump would win, that a few days before the election she contacted her OB-GYN. “I sent her a message about getting salpingectomy [fallopian tube removal] surgery,” she says. “She responded on November 5 and agreed to perform the surgery.”

Emily expects to have the surgery in spring next year – before the operation she will have to get a pelvic ultrasound to check for ovarian cysts or any other possible irregularities, and meet with her OB-GYN to discuss the procedure in more depth – but for now, she’s just happy to have the ball rolling. “I want to get it on the calendar as soon as possible [because] I have a feeling waiting times for those procedures are about to go up.”

Emily isn’t wrong: Google Trends shows that searches for terms relating to permanent contraception such as ‘vasectomy’, ‘tubal ligation’ (a surgical procedure which prevents pregnancy by blocking the fallopian tubes), and ‘tubes tied’ all spiked after it became clear Trump would win in the early hours of November 6.

It’s unsurprising that many young Americans are now attempting to plan for a future where access to contraception or abortion care could suddenly be limited. While Trump has flip–flopped on his stance towards a national abortion ban, it’s clear that he’s certainly no firebrand for reproductive rights. Trump’s Supreme Court appointments ultimately helped pave the way for the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022, and back in 2016 he famously stated that there “has to be some form of punishment” for women who get abortions (he later retracted these comments in a statement, but still stressed he was “pro-life”).

Trump’s election to power in post-Roe America is understandably sparking panic. Some are now stockpiling abortion pills and emergency contraception: Aid Access, the top supplier of abortion pills by mail in the United States, reported receiving more than 5,000 requests for abortion pills in less than 12 hours after Trump’s win was announced – a surge even larger than the day after Roe fell – while the telehealth service Wisp saw a 300 per cent increase in requests for emergency contraception. Others, like Emily, are considering more permanent forms of contraception.

This isn’t the first time a political shift has catalysed interest in permanent contraception either. Interest in vasectomies, tubal ligation, and other sterilisation procedures also rose shortly after the overturn of Roe in summer 2022, when the Supreme Court ruled that access to abortion in the US was not a constitutional right. Shortly after the ruling, many states restricted or completely banned access to abortion care, stripping women of their right to bodily autonomy. Research published by the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this year found that since the reversal of Roe, there has been a significant increase in the number of vasectomies and tubal ligations received by people aged 18 to 30.

Opting for sterilisation is the sanest, most logical choice for me and many women under these circumstances

The situation, to some extent, varies state to state. Thankfully, Emily lives in Ohio, and in 2023 Ohioans voted to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, a measure that protects abortion access until foetal viability (around 22 weeks). But she doesn’t feel as though she’s totally out of the woods. “I’m sure there’s still some fuckery [Trump] could enact to throw up roadblocks, especially with [Republican] control of Congress,” she says, adding that she’s even more “angry and terrified” for people living in states where the right to abortion is not protected.

Francisco, 32, lives in Texas. Abortion laws in Texas are incredibly strict: presently the state bans abortions at all stages of pregnancy, with very limited exemptions. He says he’s now considering getting a vasectomy, adding that he already has one child and is unsure if he is “capable” of caring for more. “Now with a Trump presidency, I need to take care to limit the impact I can make on people’s lives,” he says, adding that as he’s part of a local kink scene he’s conscious that he needs to be careful. “I need to ‘unload the gun’ […] I think getting sterilised is a precautionary measure, because if I go out and have fun, I don’t want to be the reason that someone then has to go through a hellish nightmare.”

Polly*, 25, lives in Tennessee. Like Texas, abortion laws in Tennessee are some of the most restrictive in the US. As Polly has medical issues which mean pregnancy could seriously jeopardise her health, she has ultimately decided that she does not want to have children. “My boyfriend has now called a Nashville urologist and is setting up a consultation to get a vasectomy,” she explains, adding that her boyfriend has no desire to have children either. “With the current state of the world, a vasectomy was our best option.”

26-year-old Charlie* lives in Wisconsin, where abortion is still legal until the 22 week mark (although abortion rights are not enshrined in law as they are in Ohio). They are also worried about the possibility that Trump will restrict access to abortion care, adding that they are planning to have their IUD replaced by Planned Parenthood as soon as possible. Their long-term partner is now looking to get a vasectomy too.

“Before the election, we both had been back and forth on having kids, but after the election, we agreed that this is no world to bring a child into,” they explain. “He said that he would be willing to do it.” They’re yet to make arrangements for the procedure as Charlie’s partner is “currently in school and working two jobs”, which is making it difficult to find the time for the surgery and recovery. “But we will likely look into it in the next few years,” Charlie says. “My partner will be getting a vasectomy eventually.”

Some might argue that sterilisation is an extreme response to Trump’s election, especially when it’s still unclear exactly what changes to abortion policy Trump is planning to bring in. But the news of the Republican victory has evidently been the push many needed to contact their doctors about permanent contraception. And in any case, for those weighing up permanent contraception as an option, in light of Trump’s election it’s a decision which no longer feels that drastic at all. “Extreme times call for extreme measures,” Emily surmises. “Opting for sterilisation is the sanest, most logical choice for me and many others under these circumstances.”

*Name has been changed