In Argentina, demand for vasectomy has grown in recent years, in a process that cannot be separated from the broader transformations driven by the women’s movement.
In her recent work, Argentine historian Karina Felitti situates the rise of no-scalpel vasectomy (NSV) within a wider genealogy of political and cultural changes promoted by feminism. Although male contraception has been available for decades, its visibility remained historically marginal: the 2013 National Survey on Sexual and Reproductive Health showed that only 4% of men in Argentina mentioned vasectomy as a known contraceptive method. According to Felitti, this scenario began to shift amid the feminist popularization process sparked by Ni Una Menos in 2015 — a massive movement against gender-based violence that marked a turning point in the country’s public agenda — and deepened during the historic 2018 parliamentary debate on abortion legalization. In that context, the public call directed at men — encapsulated in the slogan “Google vasectomy” — moved the focus beyond women’s bodies and made male responsibility in reproduction visible.
Beyond the abortion debate itself, the mobilization of the women’s movement contributed to a broader reconfiguration of meanings around autonomy, care, and shared responsibility, encouraging men to revisit their own practices and beliefs.
Testimonies from men who participated in vasectomy campaigns organized by World Vasectomy Day in partnership with the Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires since 2024 reflect this shift in attitudes. More than 40% reported that one of their main motivations for choosing a vasectomy was the desire to share contraceptive responsibility with their partner, while 29% cited the intention to provide a better quality of life for their family. These findings suggest that, beyond the recognition of an individual right to make reproductive decisions, men are increasingly aware of the impact their choices have on their close environment — shaped by relationships and shared life projects, where responsibility and care occupy a central place.
Women also continue to play a key role in the decision-making process: 60% of men report having consulted their partner before undergoing the procedure, and many attend the appointment accompanied by them. Their participation not only supports access to vasectomy but also helps frame the decision within a perspective of shared responsibility, moving it beyond an isolated individual choice toward a more equitable distribution of reproductive responsibilities within couples.
In this sense, the growth of vasectomy in Argentina cannot be read merely as a public health indicator, but as part of a broader cultural transformation. The struggles of the women’s movement opened an unprecedented space to challenge men regarding their reproductive responsibility. At the intersection of the women’s movement and public health, vasectomy emerges as a practice that both reflects and deepens new forms of shared responsibility, care, and equity — true Acts of Love.
