FAQs
What is the history and mission of 56SD?
The organization was launched on January 1st, 2010, born out of the belief that all people should choose how many offspring to have and when to have them. We believe state governments should provide greater access to contraception, particularly vasectomy, as this is an expense that actually saves money in the long term. Currently, few state governments have such programs in place. We therefore aim to assist low income men in acquiring vasectomy procedures while educating the general public about their societal benefit.
What services are currently offered free of charge?
56SD is currently offering a limited number of free and low cost vasectomies to patients in the Denver Metro and Seattle Metro Areas.
Who is eligible to receive benefits from 56SD?
Men under age 55, without medical insurance and an annual income under 50,000$ are eligible. In addition, those who fall under the federally determined 2011 poverty level will be granted first priority in all instances.
Do I qualify?
Fill out our questionnaire to find out.
Will lying about my income on the questionnaire work to increase my chances of approval?
It is possible that it could, but also possible for your indiscretion to be determined by a followup screening further down the road which could end up disqualifying you anyway, after wasting a fair amount of your time. Please be honest with the survey. Depending on current funding, we generally try to accommodate as many clients as we can.
What about Planned Parenthood? How do you compare?
The most notable distinction is that 56SD has not, does not, and will never use abortion in its methods. Aside from that, 56SD shares some, but definitely not all, of the beliefs of Planned Parenthood. That said, we are a far different kind of service, and if you still find their service better for you, we insist you stay with them. Both of us are non-profits and are primarily concerned with our goals being accomplished is some manner, regardless of who actually carries it out.
What about STDs, sexual dysfunction issues (erectile dysfunction, etc) Do you help with those?
Sorry, we do not. The service solely helps with family planning.
Does 56SD support abortion?
No. 56SD has not, does not, and never will have any involvement with abortion in any of its stages. Of course the members of the group have their personal opinions on it, but for the record, 56SD takes no position on the issue.
Why not?
56SD has several reasons for not supporting abortion.
First of all, Abortion is a controversial issue in the US, and a polarizing force for both sides of the argument. By not supporting abortion, 56SD becomes a much less controversial organization than Planned Parenthood, and thus can influence a far greater segment of the populace. Those whose religious beliefs prevent them from involvement with abortion will generally find the practices of 56SD much more in line with their personal beliefs, while those supporting abortion will also find no complaint with the service.
Second, 56SD believes that in 2012, abortion should no longer be necessary. Prevention is a far cheaper and morally safe way to avoid unwanted pregnancies in a modern society. With adequate access to free contraceptive methods, (still a long way off) unintended pregnancy should be a thing of the past. Whether or not abortion is morally wrong or not is debated, but that it is an expensive, invasive, unpleasant procedure is a fact.
What’s the catch? How do I know you’re not using me for some secret clinical trial or experiment, or at the minimum, using low quality physicians?
There is no catch, whatsoever. These doctors are paid full price and perform their procedures exactly as they would any other. While they will of course ask you to provide some basic info, this will be the same medical history data they ask of any other customer. These doctors will not share this data with us-that would be extremely illegal. Our organization will never even learn your medical history-at most, 56SD may ask patients to fill out a survey with their age, income level etc-just to help us do our job better.
I have insurance that covers some or all of the procedure. What does that mean for me?
If your insurance covers the procedure already, you should use it. You are paying premiums for it after all-it makes sense to get some return on that investment. If your insurance only covers some of it, we will discuss some or all of the difference based on qualification.
I want to help. How can I?
You can make a donation or contact us at info@56sdhealthservices.com for possible volunteer opportunities. We also can utilize possible donations of advertising space and resources such as office supplies in lieu of monetary contributions.
Additionally, you can contact your state representative and ask about the possibility of this procedure being made more publicly available.
