DAYTON — An obstetrician-gynecologist who has performed hundreds of surgeries to prevent pregnancies called tubal ligation said he has not experienced a noticeable increase in the number of consultations about the permanent birth control method since Roe v. Wade was overturned, but warns any woman who wants the procedure to be sure of her decision.
“This is something people should not take lightly; this is something that they should be certain, that they never ever want to have children anymore,” Dr. Luis Morales told News Center 7′s Haley Kosik on Tuesday night.
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Morales performs tubal ligations at his private practice on the Miami Valley Hospital campus. He said he has performed 400 to 500 of the “life-altering” procedures in his 37 years of practice. In the procedure, sometimes called “tying the tubes,” the surgery closes a woman’s fallopian tubes, which connect the ovaries to the uterus.
At his MVH office, Morales said he opts to remove the tubes completely to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.
“I usually call my patients the night prior to surgery and I make sure: ‘OK, are you sure you still want to do this?’ and if they say ‘no,’ great, no problem.”
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Haley Barlow of Dayton is one who is sure she wants to have her tubes tied.
“I had teeter-tottered on the idea of having more kids, if I had the money for it,” she told Kosik.
Barlow said she made her appointment to have her tubes tied before the decision on Roe v. Wade was announced on June 23. After three months of consideration, she said her procedure is scheduled for August.
“My partner and I have talked about it, because that was one of the things that united us. He had a daughter and I have a son and we both don’t want anymore kids. We want to travel, we want to focus on our careers, there’s so many goals we have outside of having kids.”
Tubal ligation is an elective procedure that most private insurance companies cover. Barlow said her surgery will be covered. Those who are not covered could face a medical bill of roughly $20,000, Morales said.
Barlow said the tubal ligation is the best decision for her.
“If I want a big family, I can foster, I can adopt, I can be motherly in other ways,” she said. “Just know yourself and know what you want.”