Dear WVD Community,
What began as an idea during a vasectomy mission led by Dr. Doug Stein and Dr. Charles Ochieng on the border of Uganda and Kenya in May 2012 has grown from a single day event into a year-round global movement dedicated to inspiring and celebrating male engagement in sexual and reproductive health.
In the face of the many challenges confronting our world today, the importance and impacts of our work have only increased. This June, World Vasectomy Day is proud to share exciting news and a range of activities, and we invite you to participate and share them widely with colleagues, allies, and friends.
On Saturday, June 6, from 10:00–11:30 a.m. EST, we will host our annual Father’s Day quarterly webinar featuring keynote presenter Dr. Peter Schlegel, renowned urologist and chair of the American Urological Association’s vasectomy guideline committee. Dr. Schlegel will discuss the recently released guidelines, followed by responses from Dr. Gareth James of the APSC, Dr. José Antonio Castro of the Centro Nacional de Salud (CNEGSR), and Dr. Gustavo Cavazzuti from the Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires. The webinar will be moderated by Dr. Mary Samplaski of Florida.
As many of you know, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place from June 11 through July 19 across Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Inspired by conversations with our friends and partners at the Centro Nacional de Salud in Mexico, WVD, together with FP2030 and DKT International, WVD is organizing a six-week communications campaign around the tournament.
CNEGSR has been a vital ally since our work began there in 2016. FP2030 is the only global partnership exclusively focused on universal access to modern, rights-based family planning, and DKT International, one of the world’s largest distributors of family planning commodities, has been a loyal supporter of WVD since 2017.
The theme of the campaign is: Family Planning Is a Team Sport. By inspiring men to join in, we are emphasizing the importance of teamwork and the need for a level playing field.
To launch the initiative, WVD and FP2030 will host a special webinar on Wednesday, June 17, at 10:00 a.m. EST, designed to inspire participation from countries competing in the World Cup as well as many that are not. Speakers will include Dr. Samukeliso Dube, Executive Director of FP2030; Chris Purdy, President of DKT International; and WVD Board Chairman Dr. Esgar Guarín. Together, we will explore the opportunities and challenges involved in engaging men as active partners in reproductive health.
The campaign will culminate in a special all-day WVD Vasectomy-a-thon on Friday, July 17, launching the World Cup Final weekend. Our goal is to involve as many providers as possible and collectively achieve 1,000 vasectomies in a single day. We hope every participating doctor schedules at least 11 procedures on July 17—because, as every football fan knows, there are 11 players on a team. Together, we can show the world a positive, compassionate, and progressive vision of masculinity that is still far too rarely seen.
We also welcome our guest contributor, Dominick Shattuck, PhD, from Relational Ground, and his insightful article titled “Fatherhood and the Responsibility We Don’t Face”. Details about this and other upcoming events can be found in this month’s newsletter.
And to all the fathers (and sons and daughters) in our community: Happy Father’s Day!
