To celebrate World Vasectomy Day, and yes there is such a thing on the third Thursday of November, Planned Parenthood has teamed up with Dr. Esgar Guarin to take his mobile vasectomy clinic, a.k.a. The Nutcracker, on the road.

The mobile clinic will be offering free vasectomies in St Louis, Joplin, Springfield, and Des Moines.

Guarin is on the advisory board for World Vasectomy Day, which has decided that it needs a year-round focus.

"It's a very particular moment in reproductive rights in the United States. And we need to talk about it," Guarian said, adding that "vasectomies are performed far less often than the tubal ligation method of female sterilization, even though they are cheaper, have a shorter recovery and require only local anesthesia."

Since the fall of Roe v. Wade, vasectomies are on the rise across the nation. Planned Parenthood in St Louis saw a 400% increase in vasectomies and a 600% increase in tubal ligations.

Dr. Doug Stein, a urological surgeon in the Tampa-St Petersburg area, noted the same issue: Patient registration tripled immediately after Dobbs overturned Roe, with most patients under 30.

Dr. Margaret Baum of Planned Parenthood St Louis said she's been talking with patients about permanent sterilization and not just the sterilizing-trans-kids kind.

"I think people are afraid, No. 1, about abortion not being accessible, which is a very real and legitimate fear and in the reality for a large part of folks in our country. And then I think people are also really afraid that what else might be next."

I cannot begin to imagine the levels of pain and regret this generation is going to have in a couple of decades.