Guardian Science Weekly

Roe v Wade: why vasectomies are no answer to abortion restrictions

Loading player...
The US supreme court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade will have a significant impact on the reproductive health and the safety of women who become pregnant in the US. Researchers have estimated it could increase maternal mortality in the country by 20%. The ruling also sparked debates around men’s reproductive options, including the role of vasectomies in pregnancy and abortion prevention. Madeleine Finlay speaks to historian Georgia Granger about the history of vasectomies, why they’ve ended up as part of the conversation about women’s reproductive rights, and hears why male sterilisation won’t solve America’s abortion problem. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
7 Jul 2022 English United Kingdom Science · Nature

Other recent episodes

Revisited: A Scottish tea mystery, episode three – a bag for life

Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode three of this mini-series first broadcast in October 2025, all of O’Braan’s lies come to a head and it is revealed where he was sourcing the tea being supplied…
23 Jul 20 min

Revisited: A Scottish tea mystery, episode two – the list

Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode two of this mini-series first broadcast in October 2025, Nicola hears how O’Braan’s network of Scottish tea growers began to have suspicions about exactly what he was selling and…
22 Jul 23 min

Revisited: A Scottish tea mystery, episode one – green shoots

Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O’Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland. In episode one of this mini-series first broadcast in October 2025, Nicola looks back on her first meeting with O’Braan while working on a feature about tea plantations in the UK…
21 Jul 22 min

Can a world-first gene therapy reverse ageing?

The first person has been treated with a highly anticipated new gene therapy that aims to turn back the clock on ageing cells. The trial is aimed at retinal cells, with the hope that encouraging them to behave as if they were young again could improve sight in the affected…
16 Jul 18 min

Fungi: the invisible force protecting our planet

Scientists often talk about the importance of flora and fauna to the health of our planet, but Dr Toby Kiers, an evolutionary biologist and founder of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, wants us to consider another force: fungi. Her work charting the planet’s vital underground systems has…
14 Jul 16 min
All episodes