Woman who doesn't want children told she can't 'have her tubes tied' because she might meet 'Mr Right'
A 23-year-old woman who asked her doctor to 'tie her tubes' because she never wants children claims they refused on the grounds that she might change her mind when she meets 'Mr. Right.'
Olivia Downs claims she was denied when she asked for the permanent contraceptive procedure to prevent having children in the future.
"I never want children, I have had this made up in my mind since I was old enough to think of the concept," she explained in her darkly tongue-in-cheek TikTok last year.
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She captioned the video: "Got the death sentence today #childfree #gyno #birthcontrol #ewkidsaregross."
She continued that the doctor refused the procedure on the grounds that it was irreversible.
To which she replied: "I know, that's why I asked, I would like that option."
But the doctor refused to budge, claiming that the risk of her not being sure of her decision was simply too high.
She claims the doctor said: "Well, no, you might meet Mr. Right and change your mind."
She continues the skit, laughing and explaining that having children 'is not in her plan'.
"It's not in my five-year-plan, my 10-year-plan, of my 50-year-plan, I don't want them," she said.
In the reenactment of the unbelievable appointment, the doctor proceeds to recommend less permanent options that are 'just as efficient' and told her about the IUD.
She hands her a pamphlet on the contraception option, which Olivia immediately tosses to the side.
Olivia put on a voice pretending to be her doctor: "It has the same efficacy rate. We put it in your uterus and you cramp and bleed for three months."
To which the US-based TikToker widens her eyes and says simply: "No. No, thank you."
Olivia, shared the video complaining about the doctor's refusal last summer and it's since exploded with over 576,000 views and reactions from women talking about their experiences surrounding contraception.
One said: "Keep fighting, it took ten years for me to find a doctor who would do it."
Another commented: "IUDs are truly painful."
A third commiserated: "I had two high-risk pregnancies one worse than the other and when I asked to have my tubes tied she told me 'Your pregnancies were not that bad'."
Downs told Fox News after the video went viral: "The biggest thing I’ve learned from this experience is that it’s bigger than just wanting a ‘child-free lifestyle.’ It’s about taking women’s requests seriously.
"A lot of women in the comments who were denied this procedure had already had kids or were high risk when it came to pregnancy and didn’t want to chance it with other birth control methods."
The NHS notes that female sterilisation is more than 99 percent effective at preventing pregnancy without affecting hormone levels.
Because it's difficult to reverse, they encourage people to be sure before having the procedure.
Amelia Jones