Permanent birth control through intentional self-mutilation

It's the latest and trendiest in the contracepting world - "Essure coils" (one pictured at left):

Getting your tubes tied is not the most appealing phrase, but it's way more user-friendly than sterilization. Maybe that's why the maker of Essure--a newer, cheaper, faster, scalpel-free alternative to tubal ligation--is marketing the procedure as "permanent birth control."

... The 1 1/2-in.-long (38 mm) coils--which are like pen springs but smaller and softer--contain fibers that irritate the tubes and prompt scar tissue to grow into and around the tiny loops. After three months, the Fallopian tubes are blocked, preventing eggs from reaching the uterus to be fertilized.

... Unlike some tubal-ligation methods, Essure cannot be reversed. (Time)

What an idea: insert a foreign object into your body, lacerating the Fallopian tubes until scarred tissue clogs the passage (graphic images: an Essure coil in operation). Gee, that doesn't sound like medicine to me.

To be fair, Time is well aware this procedure could raise questions in some people's minds:

Of course, there is another choice for couples who don't want to take any chances--right, gents?

Hmm, that's not actually one of the questions I had in mind.