Children's playcentre raising funds by auctioning off vasectomy

In a move that doesn't seem the best way to attract future business - a playcentre in Wellington, New Zealand, is fundraising by auctioning a vasectomy voucher at its annual gala.

The irony is not lost on Island Bay Playcentre mother Alice Domett, who said the centre was always looking for new families and children. "I guess that's what makes it so funny," she said. People will be able to bid using an alias to avoid embarrassment, and the voucher had already generated a lot of interest among the centre's 40-odd families - "especially the wives".



Several doctors are parents at the centre, and it was GP Tim Jefferies who came up with the auction item by offering up the services of colleague Shane Dunphy, who will perform the procedure - which usually costs about $400. In a written blurb, Jefferies said Dunphy had "over 1000 happy customers (the fellas) and billions of unhappy ones (the sperm).

"The voucher includes pre-operative consultation, the procedure, and any post-operative care. You'll be up and riding bareback in no time." The voucher is valid until June but features a caveat - no frozen peas included, which is commonly applied by patients to reduce swelling.