(New York Times) – More young, child-free women are pursuing the permanent form of contraception.

Female sterilization, medically called tubal ligation or salpingectomy, entails removing, severing or blocking the fallopian tubes. It is a permanent and highly effective form of contraception. For decades, the typical sterilization patient was an older woman who had already had children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But emerging data mirrors what Dr. Tatum was seeing at her clinic: After Roe was overturned in 2022, more younger, child-free women opted for the consequential procedure, effectively eliminating their chances of unintended pregnancies. One study, published last April, which looked at medical records from across the country, found that from June 2022 to September 2023, 21,180 18- to 30-year-olds had tubal ligations, up from 11,480 in that age group in the four years before the decision. (Read More)