It seems the research has already gotten a perfectly reversible, non-hormonal, male method of birth control.

Now granted, I wouldn’t want to be wearing that kind of underwear everyday, but I guess I wasn’t so thrilled to start wearing a bra in puberty either, so I suppose men COULD get used to it.

I disagree. There is no stigma associated with a man having gotten a girl pregnant. In many places, it’s a point of pride. Conservative culture only holds women to the higher moral standard.

@ GAC: I agree, my argument does require something of a generalization. I don’t deny men like yourself or others who grow up in socially/religiously conservative households are encouraged to remain abstinent with the same fervor as women. That said, among general society, where pre-marital sex and sexuality in general is a bit more open, women tend to bear the brunt of “sex is shameful” attitudes. My suspicion is that between a woman and a man in your situation, the woman would bear greater scorn for purchasing contraceptives.

Wow what a claim to make without any references. Tell me then, how is interference with MHC and partner selection seen as a form of “human enhancement”?

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/10/07/are-birth-control-pills-changing-the-mating-game/

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/realitybase/2008/08/13/does-the-pill-keep-you-from-finding-a-good-mate/

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2008/08/taking-the-pill-might-make-your-brother-hawt/

I think the major difference is that, at the end of the day, it’s my body that’s going to have a baby growing inside it, and all that that entails. I sure wouldn’t trust that wallet condom on any day that ends in Y, ya know? It’s going to take an enormous cultural shift before getting pregnant after a one-night stand affects both partners equally.

Anyway, I know that you are not arguing for a male birth control pill in lieu of a female birth control pill, but rather for both partners to have the opportunity to effectively protect against unwanted pregnancy. I dig it!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysgenic

. If there are so many options, why don’t we have one that works?

Because women already have an in-built hormonal mechanism to suppress ovulation, but men don’t have an equivalent mechanism to suppress sperm production.

@Paul: Umm… if the male pill works, it will stop the man taking it from impregnating a woman. The whole point is that BOTH parties are now able to be responsible. Does that necessarily mean they will be? of course not.

@Jeremy: The idea of “control” is less important than “responsibility.” Reproduction is a responsibility of those who are sexually active. A deceptive partner is in the wrong, but the burden of responsibility lies with both people to prevent unwanted pregnancy.

Somebody I know was lied to by his girlfriend that she was on the pill, but she really just wanted to get pregnant so she could force him to be with her (both of which happened). I’m sure it’s happened to a fair amount of other men as well.

Something like a pill for men could’ve keep this from happening, and that’s good.

http://womenshealth.about.com/od/thepill/f/howpillworks.htm

@John Didion: Thanks for the info and the link. Wikipedia presents a more balanced picture of RISUG. Most scientific sources I read haven’t mentioned RISUG, but it looks promising if it’s not junk science.

@DK: A worthy point. I’d note that the reason one egg is relevant is that production only occurs monthly, meaning that hormones only need to interrupt that single event, as opposed to the constant production of sperm. The rate and timing of gamete production is as relevant as number.

The reason it doesn’t work for men isn’t because of the # of sperm, it’s because they don’t have ovaries. Women could ovulate a thousand times in a month and the pill would still work because it tells the body that it is pregnant. Pregnant = no ovulating.

Also, men are often a little too eager to believe a woman when she says she’s on the pill. Yes, most women are really responsible, but there are a few that either don’t take it reliably, or throw caution to the wind because they think that counting days since their period works.