Indonesian governor’s ‘ridiculous’ vasectomy plan sparks debate on poverty, ‘body politics’
West Java Governor’s suggested sterilisation for poor men to access social welfare criticised as coercive and discriminatory
“I don’t know why poor families generally have many children, while rich people have difficulty having children, even after paying two billion rupiah (US$121,000) for IVF,” Dedi said in a speech on April 28.
He mentioned a couple he encountered with 11 children, some of whom were sent onto the streets to sell cakes.
“Stop having children if you can’t provide for them well,” he added, suggesting funds used to subsidise hospital births for underprivileged women be redirected towards building “simple houses”.
Dedi’s proposal went further, outlining that vasectomy would also be a requirement for poor families seeking new electricity connections, food aid, scholarships or public housing. Men who agreed to the procedure would receive 500,000 rupiah (US$30) each.