A family in Texas is suing a Houston doctor and the hospital after their 4-year-old underwent an unintended vasectomy during surgery on the child’s groin.
The injury lawyer representing the family, Randy Sorrels, told Fox 4 that the surgery was meant to repair a hernia in the 4-year-old’s groin area, and at some point during the surgery, he had an unintended vasectomy. The procedure took place in August 2021.
Vasectomies are used as a form of birth control for men and are one of the most effective methods of stopping pregnancy.
Sorrels also said that it was rare for someone to give a vasectomy by mistake and that the surgeon cut the wrong piece of anatomy.
“The surgeon, we think, cut accidentally the vas deferens, one of the tubes that carries reproductive semen in it. It could affect this young man for the rest of his life,” Sorrels told Fox 4.
“It is shocking a doctor would cut one of the reproductive components and not even know it,” Sorrels said. “It is more shocking the doctor refuses to be held accountable for this mistake. This lawsuit seeks to hold the doctor accountable.”
The tube the surgeon cut will make it difficult for the boy to have children in the future, but further surgery and technology may allow him to still have kids.
The family’s biggest concern is how this might affect their child physically, on the ability to have children in the future, and emotionally,” Sorrels said. “[Along with] having to explain this to a potential partner who you are going to have children with.”
