Featured Family Planning

My but it does seem my doctor told me the correct information, after all.

The risk of complications after a vasectomy is very low. Complications may include:

• Bleeding under the skin, which may cause swelling or bruising.
• Infection at the site of the incision. In rare instances, an infection develops inside the scrotum.
• Sperm leaking from a vas deferens into the tissue around it and forming a small lump (sperm granuloma). This condition is usually not painful, and it can be treated with rest and pain medicine. Surgery may be needed to remove the granuloma.
• Inflammation of the tubes that move sperm from the testicles (congestive epididymitis).
• In rare cases, the vas deferens growing back together (recanalization) so the man becomes fertile again. (Taken from WebMD)

Seems like a vasectomy is really dangerous, and demands a lifetime of hormone replacement medicine, may even cause some to become "girly-men."

Really! What "sever side effects?" Either the medical community is misinformed or your post is.

Unless one used an ax or is a hack (maybe both), the risk is either non-existent to almost negligible.

So what is the "medical fact" that is so alarming, that my last century doc left out of his talking points?

 

I would gladly do it again. Never had any side effects, never heard of anyone I know who had any. It was a pretty simple and uneventful procedure.

 

Side effects? Hmm....

Had a vasectomy in '94; decided 2 kids was all I wanted. Did the usual testing afterwards; officially declared "shooting blanks" (sorry if that's offensive; couldn't think of another way to put it).

Wife and I saved in '95. We attended church Valentine's Banquet in Feb '96; at the table, she told me she wanted another child. I laughed, and told her sure, I'd pray with her about it.

Nine months later, child #3 was born.

Never had a doubt that it was mine, but got tested anyway; something apparently grew back together somewhere, cause there was some activity....

Not actually a side effect, but a risk of the surgery.

 

I know plenty who did not have side effects and several that did.

 

It's hard to beat Southern Gospel music. I love the Gaithers Brothers. This is one of my favorites:


My church's choir sang this with a very good local lead singer but he couldn't touch Michael English. I sing in the choir and when we got to the part about walking down the streets of heaven tears were streaming down my face. It really moved me.

 

I’ve been reading this morning arguments from both sides, and I think I still stand where I do.

Thing not mentioned in the board were

1. the blessings of adoption - 'pure and undefiled religion’ should also consist in caring for the 153 million orphans (Orphan Justice, Johnny Carr; Laura Captari). Seeing the motionless bodies of little ones in China and India is an earthquake in your gut. And it is no less painful to give life to one of these little ones in Jesus’ name, nor less rewarding, than bearing ‘according to one’s own kind’. I think that is YHWH’s heart (Ezekiel 16:6 "I passed by you and saw you lying in your blood, and I said to you as you lay in your blood: Live! Yes, I said to you as you lay in your blood: Live!"

2. the primacy of the gospel task, though one guy mentioned 1 Cor 7 and serving the kingdom.

3. I agree that 'multiply and fill the land' is a command, initially to Adam, then to Noah, but also to everyone afterwards just as much as “every moving thing will be food for you”, “you shall not eat meat its blood”, and “whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed”.

4. When Sarah laughed, or Abraham went into Hagar, or Rachel envied Leah, the implications of that initial command become clear.

5. However - when Paul the apostle responds to the Corinthians that “it is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman” but his concession is that “because of sexual immorality each should have their own spouse”, it seems that we have come to a completely new paradigm.

6. Paul continues, “I wish that all were as myself [single], but each has his own gift from God [celibacy - 'some eunuchs who have been so from birth, by men, or themselves for the Kingdom'] [ spouse -

7. Family planning becomes society planning, which gets sticky when people bring up India and China. It’s a challenge for backwoods American Baptists to form knowledgeable judgment statements about pagan nations.

8. I think what we have here is a failure to differentiate between Old Covenant beginning of the world ideological practices, and New Covenant end of the ages ideas and practices. Jesus said, “a new command I give you”, and ‘Jesus commanded them, “Going, make disciples of all nations”.

9. He didn’t forbid marriage or childbearing, but his focus was much larger, and it seems to me that the Adamic and Noahic covenants were fulfilled, so that Jesus was able to say, go to all nations, since at that point the earth had been filled.

10. Christians debating about free birth nowadays are debating a moot point. The main thing now is Jesus’ last command to us.

11. Child rearing is not brought up by Paul, except in the household codes of Eph and Col, not to mention 2 Tim, but I think the same ideals of love and support apply. The mystery Paul reveals is that God the Father of all of us, something pagans in Moses' day didn't know, and that Jesus the Christ will be married to the Assembly / Gathering / Church - these are the more relevant spiritual realities.

12. American Baptists want clear commands, I get it, we are a law abiding people who see the universe governed by laws. We can’t run a stop sign without fearing heaven’s wrath. But to step back and see the big picture, I think, informs a Christian regarding God’s ultimate plan. To not step back still invites grace and mercy to the sincere believer to do what they perceive as correct in a muddled issue like this.

13. lastly, we who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, to build each other up in the faith. If a couple desires babies, they should have them. If they don’t desire to do so, who is coming around with Genesis in their hands, heartlessly thumping people’s hearts?