MANILA, Philippines — With the help of Facebook, men can now learn and avail themselves of free vasectomy.

The Commission on Population (Popcom) has cited the story of Raymart, a 39-year-old government employee who opted to undergo vasectomy.

Raymart has only one child, but he decided to have a vasectomy after his wife suffered ectopic pregnancies.

“He knows that having another child would risk not only his wife’s life but also the baby’s… prompting him to search for free vasectomy on Facebook,” Popcom said.

Another case is that of expatriate John who is married to a Filipina, with whom he had two kids.

John’s wife is already 44 years old and he believes that taking other types of contraceptives would be riskier for her age.

“Though he has the means to have his vasectomy done in a private hospital, his experiences with two hospitals discouraged him from doing so,” Popcom noted.

But since he is determined to undergo a vasectomy, he then searched online and learned about the free vasectomy mission of No-Scalpel Vasectomy International (NSVI) posted on the group’s Facebook page.

Popcom said newlyweds Clark and Audrey also availed themselves of NSVI services. The couple decided not to have children because Audrey is sick with hepatitis B and could not risk the chances of having it transmitted to her would-be children.

The high cost of having vasectomy done in private hospitals and clinics has deterred them from availing themselves of the procedure, and it was only upon learning of the NSVI through Facebook that they were able to undergo the procedure.

Popcom said it has partnered with NSVI to provide free vasectomy to those interested.

Vasectomy, according to Popcom, is a dependable and permanent family planning method for men who have decided not to have any more children.

Popcom said vasectomy is a simple and safe surgical 15-minute procedure usually performed in a clinic or health center.

NSVI is an international organization composed of vasectomists from all over the world and has been operating since 2001. It has launched a series of NSV missions worldwide, including the Philippines.– Edu Punay