For many Americans, the recession is affecting their most intimate decisions about sex and family planning. Doctors and clinics are reporting that many women are choosing abortions and men are having vasectomies because they cannot afford a child.
Planned Parenthood of Illinois clinics performed an all-time high number of abortions in January, many of them motivated by the women’s economic worries, said chief executive Steve Trombley, who declined to give exact numbers.
Other cities report similar increases. Stephanie Poggi of the National Network of Abortion Funds, which helps women in need pay for abortions, said calls to the network’s national help line have nearly quadrupled from a year ago. “They’re telling us: ‘I’ve already put off paying my rent, my electric bill. I’m cutting back on my food.’ They’ve run through all the options,” she said.
Dr. J. Stephen Jones, a urologist at the Cleveland Clinic, said he has seen a surge of men seeking vasectomies.
“Several articulated very forcefully that the economy was the motive,” Jones said. “I have a long discussion with them and ask if there’s any chance they still might want kids. They say they know it’s time.”
