Male Birth Control is Finally Here!

Finally! A male birth control option…other than a condom of course. For the first time, a safe, effective and reversible hormonal male contraceptive has been proven dependable. Several more concoctions are expected to become obtainable within the near future. Men may soon have the options of a daily pill to be taken orally, a patch or gel to be applied to the skin, an injection given every three months or an implant placed under the skin every 12 months, according to Seattle researchers. These are methods that are very similar to women’s birth control options. Options, a word that is very important in this new innovation. Women are not the only partner that is held accountable for practicing safe sex and avoiding pregnancy. Glenn Sacks, a columnist for Father’s & Families claims that women don’t really want men to have access to their own birth control. “While women legitimately complain that biology has condemned then to bear the burden of contraception, this burden also gives women control over one of the most important parts of any human being’s life—reproduction. The male birth control pill will shift much of that control from women to men” states Glenn Sacks, 2012. If you think about it women have a lot of control over a man when it comes to avoiding pregnancy. Adolescence may begin taking contraception as young as thirteen a time when there hormones are rampant, and relationships are blooming. Teenage years are a time where you meet your first love and begin experiment sexually. Girls on contraception have the choice to stop taking it whenever they want. They can stop taking the pill orally, remove their implant, patch, or stop taking their shot without letting their partner know giving them one-hundred percent of the power, and the ability to get pregnant right away. How many times have you heard of a situation where two people are in the heat of the moment, the woman asks the guy if he has a condom and he says, “No but you’re on birth control. Right?” her response, “Yea sure”. The last thing on her mind is the thought of getting pregnant; it is only their first time having sex anyway, she’ll just tell him to pull out. Whether you are fifteen or thirty this scenario can become a reality. Back to male birth control, will men take contraceptives? The current male contraceptive releases testosterone over a period of three months, it is a safe and practical method, meaning it will not cause men to be sterile and it will not affect a man’s emotions like some side effects in women’s hormonal birth control. Scott Hardin says that “he is glad that men may soon have a new choice when it comes to birth control. But, he adds, he would not even consider taking a male hormonal contraceptive”. Right now, all men have to protect themselves is the condom, a latex sleeve for the penis that is not one-hundred percent effective. It is also visible so women know when they are wearing one or not. So my question is; why wouldn’t men be excited about having the option to take birth control? Then they could ensure they are not going to become a father before they are ready. Fathers & Families. “Do Women Really Want a Male Birth Control Pill?” 2012. Web. 2 March 2012. http://www.glennsacks.com/do_women_really.htm Men’s Sexual Health Guide- MSNBC. “Male birth control pill soon a reality.” 2012 Web. 2 March 2012. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3543478/ns/health-sexual_health/t/male-birth-control-pill-soon-reality/#.T1ETlXk9a7E