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Comply with child support orders to avoid a difficult decision

In the shadows of the uproar about women's rights and the Supreme Court decision regarding birth control and Home Depot is the interesting deal some judges are making with men who stand before them. That deal has to do with a choice between getting a vasectomy or going to jail. In a recent Virginia case, a judge included getting a vasectomy in a plea deal with a man who was before her on hit-and-run driving, child endangerment, and driving on a suspended license charges.

As it turns out, it really isn't unusual for men to be offered vasectomies as part of plea deals. In the man's case, the judge exercised the option regarding vasectomy because the man has "seven or eight children, all by different women." The judge felt that it would be in Virginia's best interest to stop the cycle now.

The man was sentenced to serve time in jail. The vasectomy must be done within a year of his release. The judge also added that the man can't have a vasectomy reversal during his five years of probation, three of which are supervised and two of which are unsupervised.

One judge in another state says that he does the same for men who are seriously behind on child support. He says that he doesn't have a problem with the deal because he doesn't feel the men deserve more children. He says the "vasectomy or jail" option he gives conveys that children are a responsibility.

Having to choose between getting a vasectomy or going to jail is a choice that most men wouldn't want to have to make. For this reason, anyone who is responsible for paying child support should make sure they do so as ordered to avoid having to stand before a judge and face the possibility of that choice. Getting answers to any questions you have is one step toward avoiding the choice between a vasectomy or a jail cell.

Source: Medical Daily, "Get A Vasectomy Or Go To Jail: Virginia Court Offers 27-Year-Old Man Plea Deal And He Chooses The Scissors," June 16, 2014

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