Being a wealthy bachelor in the Hamptons summer social scene comes with endless hookup potential, but also its fair share of pitfalls like women trying to trap a rich guy by getting pregnant.
However, men are apparently getting wise to the ploy and going to extremes to safeguard against it. Urologists in the area are reporting a rise in well-off bachelors requesting vasectomies just in time for the summer season.
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“There’s a spike in single guys who get the procedure in spring and early summer,” urologist Dr. David Shusterman said. “They don’t want to be in the situation of being accused of fathering an unwanted baby. That’s their fear — being told you’re paying for this kid until it’s [an adult]. This extortion happens all the time. Women come after them. [They get pregnant and] want a ransom payment,” said Shusterman. “Some guys do an analysis of the cost — for three days of discomfort [after a vasectomy], it’s worth millions of dollars to them. I never see a poor guy asking for a vasectomy.”
One anonymous 34-year-old bachelor, who just had the procedure done this month, says he learned the hard way after a woman tried to trap him last year. He said after they were done having sex she said she would dispose of the condom, and he later caught her in the bathroom trying to insert his semen into her vagina.
“She denied it, but she tried to get herself pregnant,” he said, adding that he grabbed a towel and made her clean herself and then shower. “After that, I have to be a lot more careful.”
But whether having to pay 18 to 21 years of child support is worth gambling with irreversible action over (vasectomy reversals reportedly have a 50 percent success rate) is the larger question. Manhattan attorney Ira Garr says yes.
According to Garr, for someone who makes a million a year, child support payments could equal $100,000 annually, or about $2.1 million till the child becomes 21. That’s versus a vasectomy that’s either completely covered by insurance or about $1,000 out of pocket.
“I deal with this every year,” he said. “There’s potential to pay out a lot of money. [Vasectomies are] a foolproof way to fool around and not get in trouble.”