Photo: Dr Sserunjogi Emma/X
A heated online debate has emerged in after Dr Sserunjogi Emma raised concerns over young adults opting for permanent family planning procedures, including tubal ligation and vasectomy, at an early age.
The doctor’s comments, shared in response to a viral social media post, have drawn mixed reactions from the public, with discussions centring on reproductive choices, medical ethics, and personal responsibility.
Dr Sserumjogi questioned why individuals in their mid-twenties would consider irreversible contraceptive procedures, arguing that such decisions require long-term thinking given their permanent nature.
“I can't imagine how much whoeing someone would be going through to make them decide at 25yrs of age that the best family planning method is cutting their tubes or vasectomy at 25yrs!!!” he wrote.
He further challenged what he described as a growing preference for permanent solutions despite the availability of multiple reversible contraceptive options.
“What sexual wars are you planning on fighting?? Can't you use a condom, copper IUD, hormonal IUD, emergency, abstaining, how much horny do are you that you cannot use a condom during unsafe days and have live sex during safe days!” he stated.
According to him, young people have access to several safe and temporary methods that allow them to prevent pregnancy without making irreversible decisions.
“There are so many ways that you can opt not to have children while having sex unless you're getting battle ready,” he added.
Dr Sserumjogi also criticised what he termed as inconsistencies in societal perceptions of young women’s decisions, saying similar age groups are judged differently depending on context.
“Society is so dead that when a man marries a woman who is 23yrs, they say he's a sexual predator… same girl at that age decides to cut her tubes and suddenly now the entire society praises her that she's emotionally mature… Nonsense y'all,” he wrote.
He also questioned the role of medical practitioners in approving sterilisation procedures for younger patients, arguing that such decisions should be handled with greater caution due to their permanence.
“As a doctor, how much greedy are you to cut tubes of such a girl or boy,” he said, drawing parallels with other irreversible medical interventions that continue to spark ethical debate.
His remarks have divided opinion across social media platforms in Uganda. Some users have supported his position, arguing that younger adults may not fully understand the long-term implications of sterilisation.
Others, however, say adults have the right to make informed reproductive choices without societal interference, provided medical guidelines are followed.
Health experts note that sterilisation procedures are legally available in many settings under informed consent, although practitioners often assess psychological readiness and long-term intent before proceeding, particularly for younger individuals.