A Dundee-based researcher of vasectomy history has gone viral after publishing a series of tweets dismissing calls for men to face mandatory sterilisation in the US. Georgia Grainger, who is writing what may be the UK's first complete history of the procedure, took to the social platform after feminist campaigners and a US politician suggested introducing mandatory vasectomies as an alternative to abortion.
In a detailed thread based on her PhD research, Georgia wrote: "Vasectomies are great, get one if you want one, but please do not pit them against abortion, and please do not talk about introducing mandatory vasectomies without acknowledging the history of them."
Her tweets have been liked tens of thousands of times each, with the most popular tweet securing 75,500 likes and 17,400 retweets. However, Georgia has also been the target of vitriolic abuse from users who have accused her of ignoring the plight of women - a claim she has vehemently denied.
Speaking to Dundee Live, she said: "I want reproductive rights for all. Vasectomies are a great option for people that fit into the wider scheme of things - it has to be comprehensive, from condoms to the Pill and more permanent options like vasectomy and tubal ligation ['getting your tubes tied'].
"People's anger is coming from the right place but anyone campaigning for bodily autonomy should never be campaigning for depriving anyone else of that right."
The US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, the landmark decision in 1973 that said a woman's right to abortion was protected under the Constitution, on Friday. Around half of all American states are set to introduce laws that will outlaw terminations in one way or another with a minority refusing to make exceptions for traumatic events such as rape or incest.
The decision has been attacked as an erosion of women's rights. However, it has also sparked counter-arguments suggesting that those who are against abortion should be have vasectomies to reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancy.
Oklahoma state representative Mickey Dollens put forward an altogether more radical suggestion earlier this week: that young men undergo a vasectomy when they hit puberty, which is undone when they reach "financial and emotional stability". While he later told broadcaster MSNBC that the proposal was "tongue in cheek", some have taken the suggestion literally.
Georgia, who lives in Dundee and works in a library, used her thread to educate people on lesser-known parts of reproductive rights history - such as forced sterilisation policies that disproportionately affected ethic minorities. The Northern Ireland native also explained how vasectomies aren't bulletproof, and can fail to 'take' after surgery - but ultimately voiced her support for reproductive rights for all.
Should men who oppose abortion undergo a vasectomy to reduce pregnancies? Share your views.
The Strathclyde University academic added: "I am worried about what it could mean for abortion rights here. I think throughout history we have seen an ebb and flow of rights and abortion tends to be one that is granted and taken away again.
"There has been periods where it has been acceptable, legal and easy to access, and where it's not. As someone who grew up in Northern Ireland I'm always very aware that we have to keep an eye on our rights and make sure they are protected, especially with the rise of quite conservative or right-wing arguments around these issues.
"And with organisations in being funded by American evangelical groups across the UK and Ireland there is a danger we're going to see a push towards eroding those rights, and those affecting vulnerable groups like LGBT people and migrants. Seeing any of these rights being eroded is not a good sign."
She added that the reaction from some corners of the internet had highlighted why she was working on a history of men's fertility. Men she had interviewed for her PhD had spoken to her in detail about the difficulties they face when seeking a vasectomy - particularly as the NHS will often refuse to sterilise men under 30 who haven't had children.
Georgia concluded: "There aren't really any historians tracking men's experiences of family planning and fatherhood - that show men as taking an interest in family planning. Maybe because it doesn't sit with our experiences in the past and how things worked in the past, where the woman was expected to be responsible for all of that.
"I wanted to raise awareness of the history of the things that people might not be aware of. I don't know why my tweets took off but more people are paying attention to the issue of reproductive rights after Roe v Wade, so it was worthwhile sharing it and helping people understand what they're campaigning for."
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