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Insights
It ’ s time for males to step up
It ’ s a new dawn , it ’ s a new day ,” as
Nina Simone sings in her classic “ I ’ m Feelin ’ Good .”
For 2021 , one of my “ new dawn ” mantras is male birth control .
That ’ s right . Up to this point , the onus for not producing a child has been on the gender whose belly starts to swell after sperm meets egg . Of late , I ’ ve been thinking that this responsibility is clearly misplaced . Now of course , females should never fully abdicate this responsibility , because we are the ones that have been gifted with a uterus . So , with regard to consensual encounters , one could argue that it is ultimately the female ’ s duty to make sure that if she doesn ’ t want her belly to start swelling , she must do something to prevent her egg from running into one of those little super-swimmers during said encounter .
But consider this : If a woman has sex with 100 men in the course of one year , she can only produce one child in that year ’ s time ( two if on the rare occasion she has twins ). If a man has sex with 100 women over a one-year period , he could conceivably impregnant all 100 women , thus , producing 100 children in that year ’ s time . So , the onus for birth control here is clearly on the wrong sex . Men should be the ones taking the pill , or getting a shot or an implant , or at the very least , using a condom .
And guys , I don ’ t want to hear one word about the “ raincoat in the shower ” analogy or the miniscule loss of pleasure argument . Grow up and take some responsibility for your erections .
Why is it that some form of male birth control is not readily available or in use right now ?
In researching the answer to this question , I came across a 2019 article in Healthline . com that reports research is being conducted on this very subject . Dr . Stephanie Page , a professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine , and Dr . Tomer Singer , director of reproductive endocrinology
and infertility at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City , are both quoted about research on a male birth control pill , a shot , or a topical gel . This research has in fact been going on for several decades .
Just as with female birth control pills , messing with male hormones also produces side effects . In women , these effects can range from headaches to weight gain to mood swings to blood clots or more serious issues . So far , with a male birth control pill , scientists report that the main side effects have been decreased libido and some erectile dysfunction . And of course , we can ’ t have that , can we , guys ? Women can suffer not getting pregnant , just as they suffer giving birth , while men do their thing with nary a care in the world . Maybe they even bail on the girl . After all , this article notes that in the United States , almost half of all pregnancies are unplanned .
Breakthroughs on versions of the male pill that do not cause side effects are in the works , as is a topical gel that reduces sperm production without all the side effects . An important physiological point here is that women ovulate ( produce an egg ) once a month . But men produce gazillions of little swimmers all the time . So controlling them is a bit more tricky .
“ We think that it will be a decade , and that really does have to do with the fact that we have more work to do . The trials that will need to be done by their very nature will take some time ,” Dr . Page says in the article .
In a June 2020 article from New Zealand ’ s Newshub , associate professor and director of the Public Health Program at Pittsburgh University Dr Martha Terry brings up the one sticking point about male birth control that doesn ’ t involve negative side effects or lack of interest in male contraceptives : if a male forgets to take his pill , or is a few days late getting a shot renewed , He is not the one left with child .
“ Women will never be off the hook because women pay the real cost of having children ,” Dr . Terry noted .
In the meantime , real men who want to share in the contraceptive responsibility can always ask their partner about her birth control method , or at the very least put on that proverbial raincoat . Yes , they interfere with spontaneity and on rare occasions break . But if used correctly , condoms are 98 percent effective against pregnancy , according to Planned Parenthood . They also have the added benefit of protecting against most sexually transmitted diseases .
Before you dismiss me : this subject is important . And yes , some of the more religious folks out there will tell you that we should tell our young people “ Just don ’ t have sex .” In a perfect world , sure . But this is the real world . Where kids have sex because their parents don ’ t talk to them about it and they are curious about those feelings . Where many girls don ’ t even know that when you start menstruating , you can get pregnant . Where the average age for a young male to start watching porn on the internet is 11 years old . That ’ s right : Eleven . Where sites like the evil Pornhub are among the top 10 websites worldwide . So the trite , “ just don ’ t have sex ” doesn ’ t really work . We need to be realistic .
And realistic is talking to our children about how their bodies work . About sex and , importantly , consent to sex . About preventing pregnancy , preventing STDs , and about preventing sexual assault . About planning when you want to get pregnant . And about not getting pregnant until you are ready — emotionally , physically , and financially , to be responsible for bringing another human being into the world - whether you are male or female .
Remember : females don ’ t get pregnant by themselves . A male has to be in the vicinity . So , he needs to start taking some responsibility for preventing that swollen belly too .
Jayne Flores is the director of the Bureau of Women ’ s Affairs and a longtime journalist . Contact her at jayneflores59 @ gmail . com . rom the comment box
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