Have you heard the great news? There is now a proven drug trial that shows high effectiveness of a birth control for men. After decades of women having to put up with the side effects of various forms of birth control to protect ourselves from unwanted pregnancy, men can finally take the step towards responsible protection too! But unfortunately, the trial has been stopped and requires reexamining.
“just 20 of the men (out of 320, don’t forget) found the side effects of the injection intolerable and it was decided that more research needed to be done to try and counteract them. Those side effects included depression, muscle pain, mood swings, acne and changes to the libido.”
I think changes to mens’ libdo could be a good thing. But I digress. These side effects are very minor and have been tolerated by women since the dawn of oral contraceptives. Not to mention other forms of birth control that are terrifyingly worse. The implant that causes rapid weight gain and heavy irregular periods, the vaginal ring which has one of the highest risks of blood clots, and the IUD, which has an intensely painful insertion, can get imbedded in the uterus, and can cause infertility.
But us women do all this to protect our own bodies. As frustrating as it is that 20 of the men participating in the study found the side effects unbearable, would we really trust a man with the upkeep of birth control when ultimately it won’t be his problem when an unplanned pregnancy happens? Now this is not some feminist hating all men rant, this is a logical argument to preserve the right to protect our own bodies. In the heat of the moment with a new partner, when the question briefly arises and is now applicable to both the man and the woman, “are you on birth control?” That is not the time to take his word for it.
“When it comes to contraception, medicine is clearly biased towards men. Women can have such ailments as depression and acne thrust upon them for the greater good of preventing an unwanted pregnancy, but the same level of discomfort cannot be expected of men.”
It’s quite laughable that some of the men involved in the study were not able to handle these side effects. It just reinforces the point that women have a significantly higher pain tolerance than men. But more importantly, the purpose of the medication outweighs the side effects when it’s for your own body. Maybe these men in the study found it appropriate to claim these intolerable side effects because this medication would not be necessary to men. But for women who want to protect themselves against unwanted pregnancy, it really is. Frustration aside, protect yourself, and don’t leave the responsibility of protection up to the man.
I was furious when this study popped up on my newsfeed. Since when did discomfort ever justify the risk of unwanted pregnancy? Taken out of context, the side effects found in this study could be legitimate. The FDA and other agencies make certain that drugs go through 600 hoops to minimize liability. But in context, the study could do well to consider what shutting it down means. What does not releasing the male birth control mean? The alternative, one that is often unspoken, is allowing women to continue shouldering the responsibility of unwanted pregnancy until they can come up with something better. I don't see why they can't distribute it to families that feel comfortable with the potential risks for the sake of equality and health.
ReplyDeleteYou make a very good point that we can't trust no man. When I first heard about this study, I thought it could be a revolutionary step to improving birth control effectiveness. I figured if both parties romantically involved were on the pill, it would be nearly impossible for the female to get pregnant. Nonetheless, you made me realize that men cannot be held accountable to take a daily contraceptive pill. They have absolutely no incentive, as they themselves cannot get pregnant nor do they have a period to regulate. Very interesting piece.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. Although, it hardly seems as though introducing birth control for men could be anything but helpful when trying to avoid unwanted pregnancies. People in relationships could (ideally) trust their partners to avoid imposing all the burden on women. And women looking for something casual could always make sure by being on the pill just to make sure. Having the responsibility shared amongst the two participants wouldn't dilute said responsibility but actually multiply it. Men don't want to get women pregnant by mistake, so they will be inclined to take the pill, and women DEFINITELY don't want to get pregnant by mistake, so they will DEFINITELY keep taking it. There doesn't seem to be that big of a downside here.
ReplyDeleteI think that male birth control would help with a commonly spouted men's rights issue- men don't feel like they have any options regarding pregnancy and fatherhood besides abstinence and condoms. I don't think that I would trust male contraception as a SOLE form of birth control, but I think it solves an anxiety that some men genuinely have- 'what if my girlfriend/wife/etc is lying about being on birth control and is trying to trap me with a baby?' I think that's a tired trope, but there are men that genuinely believe women are looking to fake an "unexpected" pregnancy to force them into marriage or monogamy. I believe in sexual autonomy and contraception for everyone, and I love that people are trying to make this an option for men.
ReplyDeleteIf men complain about birth control, we're serious hypocrites. There is no reason that straight males should not be committed to taking birth control like their female counterparts. If men have the opportunity to take birth control and protect their women sexual partners from pregnancy then, on a moral level, they should take the birth control. Just as ladies take birth control to ensure that they do not get pregnant, we (men) should take the steps to show solidarity with women and inject/ingest the birth control.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, in my opinion, men should be the ones taking the preventive measures against pregnancy. Since being pregnant is a burden on the woman, the man should be responsible for not getting his partner pregnant.