Articles Sticking My Finger up at Evolution: Unconventionality, Selfishness, and Choice in the Talk of Men Who have had ‘‘Preemptive’’

Men’s interest in the contraceptive and reproductive spheres is often considered to be minimal, with management of these domains traditionally constructed as ‘‘fem-inine.’ ’ Despite this, some men, who have no interest in having children, choose to take a higher degree of control over their reproductive bodies, voluntarily seek-ing a ‘‘preemptive’ ’ vasectomy. This article reports on interview data with twelve men who had preemptive vasectomies, describing the shared meaning making (and subject positions) many of these men took up in relation to the operation. The sub-ject positions can be identified by (1) descriptions of themselves and/or their life-styles as ‘‘selfish,’ ’ and (2) descriptions of themselves and/or their lifestyles as ‘‘unconventional.’ ’ While these self-descriptors might be construed negatively, an indication of marginalization, the authors would argue that the men were able to put a positive spin on these features using neoliberal discourses of choice and per-sonal responsibility. Access to such discourses might be seen as an indication of th