Apparently my semi-weekly web scavenger hunts for sex-related news failed me last month. Focused on promoting kinky sex, I missed an msnbc article about a major scientific breakthrough: hormonal birth control for men.
The good news: It’s feasible. Drugs in the trial phase are already working well. No fun side effects so far; now you don’t even have to get high to lower your sperm count!
The bad news:
“It is time for men to have some control. I think it would empower men and deter some women out there from their nefarious plans,” says [a trial participant]. “Some women are out there to use men to get pregnant. This could deter women from doing this.”
“Nefarious”? Seriously? I’m sure this is a problem for someone, somewhere (he cites athletes and singers, a distinct minority), but honestly, if a woman’s sleeping with you in a sneaky attempt to steal your sperm, that’s the least of your issues. I’d watch my wallet and my Nutella more closely than my semen, if I were you.
It pains me that anyone finds this proper justification for the development of the male pill. How about the financial burden many women shoulder, especially with the rise in prices of contraception on many campuses? The myriad unpleasant side effects of hormonal birth control on women? I’m all for taking the pill if it works for you, but I also know a lot of women who stopped taking it due to “Overly Emotional Constantly Crying Raging Bitch Syndrome.” (OECCRBS … catchy acronym, no? It’s the sound made when the chocolate runs out.)
Anyway, I think the male pill will do wonderful things, just as the female birth control pill revolutionized American culture in the 1960s. If all goes to plan, I expect just as many men to be on it in twenty years as women are now (hopefully for the right reasons, not just to foil plots). It’s about time.
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November 27th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
I read a commenter somewhere hit on what I thought was a big flaw with the male pill: how will women trust men who say they are on it? It’s easy to see a man lying to get what he wants, and men would have less incentive to make sure they are perfectly compliant. If it comes down to it, he’s not the one carrying the child for nine months, and he can always leave.
Why is it that Nutella is more of a girl thing?
November 28th, 2007 at 10:30 am
It’s called a vasectomy.
Ask to see the scar.
November 28th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
dude, would you trust a guy to REMEMBER to take a pill daily? it’s a great idea and will be a great way to add another method of birth control in monogamous relationships (where condoms may not be needed/used), but i just can’t believe that some of the male partners i’ve had would be able to remember to take their pill daily. what do they care if they knock someone up?
(yes, i know this was an incredibly sexist post, but really…can you really see this working out other than in monogamous relationships?)