Not Funny

Desperate measures: Toni Vernelli was steralised at
age 27 to reduce her carbon footprint

Well, bless her pointy little head. Have you heard about these ecochondriacs announcing that they're being sterilized because having kids would be too much of a strain on the earth? I want to say, "good, less of that kind of fool has to be a good thing." But this is serious business. And getting permanent birth control is a serious mistake.

I know this because I was a seriously stupid kid in the 1970's and I got a vasectomy for exactly the same reasons. And the same people, Malthusians, were promoting it then. They even subsidized it. A vasectomy cost me $100.00, the difference was paid by (other) well meaning liberals. The same people were completely covering the cost of vasectomies in India, and giving each recipient a transistor radio for his trouble. Why was this so important? Because the world wouldn't make it to the year 2000 otherwise. At the time nobody thought to ask why these ideas hadn't proved true since Thomas Malthus first expressed them in 1798.

Like I said, the vasectomy was cheap and easy, only hurt moderately, and was done with good intentions. Later, when I realized my pointy headed mistake, the reversal of it was hugely expensive, monstrously painful, enormously painful, very uncomfortable, and the smartest thing I've ever done. (and side note: it hurt)

So, if you, or anyone you know, is considering this; consider that Malthus, and all the many Neo-Malthusians since, have been wrong. And also consider that tied tubes and vasectomies are not always reversible.