Rwanda’s government has said it wants to encourage men to have vasectomies in a bid to stem the small landlocked country’s growing population.
It would be done along with its HIV prevention campaign to encourage all men to be circumcised.
Health officials would take the opportunity to talk to men about the birth-control method at the same time.
A BBC reporter in Rwanda says vasectomies are uncommon in the country and the move may meet resistance.
A vasectomy is often irreversible. The operation for a male sterilisation takes about 15 minutes and can be carried out in a clinic under local anaesthetic.
The Rwandan government has been encouraging male circumcision since 2008 as the UN World Health Organization says it reduces the risk of heterosexual HIV infection.
Health Minister Richard Sezibera said the government aimed to have 700,000 men circumcised in the next three years.
“Those who will be willing to join the programme of family planning will be allowed to have a vasectomy,” Dr Sezibera said.
But men interviewed on the streets of the capital, Kigali, were cautious about such a permanent method of contraception.
“I think I can’t go for it. You may plan to have two children and then unfortunately one dies,” one man told the BBC’s Network Africa programme.
“When this happens when you already have had vasectomy, you can’t have another child. Instead of going for vasectomy, you would rather practice other methods.”
“I can never go for it,” another added.
One man was a little more positive: “I personally wouldn’t prefer to. But perhaps if I had three children, I would go.”
Experts say a slowdown in Rwanda’s fast-growing population, which the UN estimates was 10.2 million in 2010, would help improve living standards.
Vasectomy is OK, if it is strictly voluntary, offered to people equally and without any kind of discrimination, e.g. poverty, region or status in the Society. A panel of medical-social and psychologist team chosen from within the Communities should be put in place to assess and approve or reject the request. Otherwise there is a dangerous risk of using the procedure to control the growth of certain groups of the Society, given the context of HUMAN RIGHTS abuses in Rwanda currently denounced by various NGOs and Amnesty International.
Vasectomy is OK, if it is done strictly voluntarily, offered to people equally and without any kind of discrimination, e.g. poverty, region or status in the Society, A panel of medical-social and psychologist team, chosen from all venues of the community, should be put in place to assess and approve or reject the request. Otherwise there is a dangerous risk of using the procedure to control the growth of certain groups of the Rwandan Society, given the existing context of abuse of the Human Wrights denounced currently by various NGOs and Amnesty International.
let it flow. Women are doing all the sacrifices to manage family lives. It’s time that men step up. After all, you can still enjoy your thing even better may be with no condom
I think it is a very good idea, I am sure certain society looks down at such suggestion and procedure — But i believe the way things are going with food shortage, over population, the escalation of HIV/AIDS etc… A lot more countries and societies need to hid to such idea at least with certain criteria in place such as age, economic standing, education and risk etc… I am a strong, strong advocate of such idea… Please put this notion into place sooner than later… After all what good it is to bring a bunch of kids into this world and you cannot feed them and educate them– “populate with care”..