Male birth control pill and the right.

[white_wolf]

I heard on the radio the other day that people were working on male birth control pill and with all the controversy going on right now, I have to wonder, would the GOP work this hard to try and ban a male birth control pill? I, honestly, don't think the would, it seems to be purely about controlling women and I'm willing to be they wouldn't have a problem if the pill was for men and not women.

[appleannie1]

1. Hell, you know that women only have one role. Spread them legs for the MR. and then go cook some

vitals. Besides which, children are trophies of manhood and a Rethug man is not about to chance losing a trophy.

[TheWraith]

2. They've been working on a male birth control pill for many years.

When and if they finally find one, I'll be rather shocked.

That said, I think people overestimate how much it's about controlling women. Look at the right-wing's response to condoms for teenagers, and teaching safe sex. It's not just about women, it's about a mindset which is set on repressing human sexuality and sexual behavior. Anything which acknowledges sex as a natural human behavior, something not to be feared, draws fire from the right. To them, sex is something horrible to be kept quiet, a topic no one talks about in polite society.

[Scootaloo]

7. There's really no market for it

There's already the female pill, and no shortage of prophylactics. Basically the market for pregnancy prevention is already saturated. From a scientific standpoint it'd be kind of neat, just one of those "look what we did!" thing, but since pharma companies are for-profit, it's not going to happen.

Thus the need for unimpeded access to existing options.

[lumberjack_jeff]

8. on what do you base this.

Posts like this give credence to the op. Look what happens when the other foot is wearing the shoe.

Lobbying to prevent its development is no better.

[Scootaloo]

12. On the fact that redundant technology is generally not profitable

It's a literal case of reinventing the wheel. Why would pharmaceutical companies invest millions and millions of dollars into research for a birth control product for men, when more reliable, less experimental methods to do the same already exist for women?

Amanda Marcotte at pandagon.net puts it together better than I can:
http://pandagon.net/index.php/site/comments/there_wont_be_a_male_birth_control_pill

[Zalatix]

13. So much for choices. Another reason why capitalism is flawed.

[lumberjack_jeff]

16. its not redundant

As a man (with the exception of sterilization) I don't have a meaningful degree of control over my fertility.

In this, I think it should be up to men to judge if it's a worthwhile exercise.

[Ilsa]

18. ITA. And I think men

would consider using an oral contraceptive (versus a simple surgical procedure to implant a hormone release device) to make certain their partners don't "trap" them into fatherhood and its obligations. I think it is perfectly reasonable for men to take this precaution versus trusting a sex partner in her statement that she takes reliable birth control.

Yes, I think there is a market for an O.C. For men.

[Scootaloo]

19. The "daddy trap" is such a weird worry

'Cause pregnancy and childbirth are just such conveniant methods to extort a guy, right? It almost strikes me as a modern-era version of vagina dentata myths.

Okay. Allow me to clarify; there would not be a reliable enough market for the money and effort invested into it. Some guys would buy it, sure, for whatever reasons they may have (anything from fear of "daddy trapping," to their wife being allergic to the female pill, whatever you want to go with). It's doubtful that enough would, however.

One reason? Male reproductive biology works a bit differently from female reproductive biology. I know, it's like a thunderbolt, right? But really. A woman's ovaries release an egg over a rather long period of time. Putting in the hormones to tell those little gonads to not do that is actually pretty easy. On the other hand, a man's testes are cranking out sperm pretty much 24/7. Basically you only have to give the ovaries an occasional hit of progestin to keep them from releasing eggs, but you need to marinate the testes in hormones to keep sperm production turned off.

The "male pill" would thus very likely be a regular regimen of pill-taking, would be ineffective for a day or two after the first pill, and might even carry the real risk of sterility. Even if the science gets the cocktail right to nullify that last potential problem, you're still looking at a pretty inconvenient method of keeping your dudes from going on the march; especially at the (certainly high) cost compared to, say, a condom.

yes, condoms. They're super-effective. And if you're honestly that terrified that your lady friend is poking holes in your sheathes... don't sleep with her. Seriously, if she's got you THAT paranoid, you should avoid the endeavor utterly anyway

[Ilsa]

22. Thank you for the explanation.

More than anything, I appreciate the bio-pharma details.

I have known someone who was "trapped" by a professional woman who was a bit emotionally unstable. Very sad, actually, how she fixated on my coworker.

[Kurmudgeon]

15. I can see some guys taking it to avoid a Jerry Springer scenario....

"no way it's mine, baby, I'm on the pill!"

Then you'll also have the male sluts who will say that just for their own purpose. How do you prove a guy is on the pill?
Take his word for it? Oh yeah, that'll work good...
However, I can also see plenty of males hesitant to take it for fear of potential damage, maybe even rightfully so.

[Dokkie]

23. Non sense

"Then you'll also have the male sluts who will say that just for their own purpose. How do you prove a guy is on the pill?"

A woman doesnt have to worry as much as the man whether the man is on the pill and that is because she has total control of the pregnancy after the deed is done. She can take the morning after pill, abort the fetus/embryo and even when the bady is delivered can put him/her up for adoption. There are no option for the guy except for pray that the woman also wants to terminate the fetus.

Also to the OP, nobody is trying to ban contraception, the controversy is about who pays for it. It is illegal for govt to finance or mandate the use of federal dollars for paying for abortion and yet nobody calls it a ban. Personally, I rather see men and women responsible for paying for their own contraception cos we all know what happens to price when a 2nd or third part starts paying for anything (cell phones vs laptop, breast implants vs removing your tonsils etc etc)

[brewens]

11. Do right wingers treat women the same way some racist treat

minorities? The woman with a healthy sexual appetite that is your wife or girlfriend is good. All the others are sluts. Kind of like racists who say some of their best friends are black. Sure, they were buddies with the black kid in school on their team, but all those other ones, not so much.

[Nikia]

20. They do have men taking it right now as part of the drug trials

It works. There are some side effects that are not dangerous, but they are working to reduce those to make it more tolerable to men. I am guessing that if it were a product for women, it would be approved by now.
I think that there would be a market. There are men that are paranoid about their partners tricking them into becoming fathers. There are also married couples in which the wife has side effects from the female pill that might make the husband taking the male pill a better alternative.
The male pill might not be as popular as the female pill but it might not need to be to be profitable.

[lumberjack_jeff]

21. +1

But it's not paranoia. Everyone should have the tools to control their own fertility. Trust shouldn't be necessary.

[limpyhobbler]

3. Probably true.

I think you're on to something. Except maybe for some true believers, really religious people, they might stick to their guns.

[white_wolf]

4. Yeah I could see Santorum trying to ban it regardless, along with Bachman.

[loyalsister]

5. Unless

it inhibited erection and\or orgasm

[appleannie1]

6. It is all about controlling women. That is what they think makes them men.

They all have sex fantasies that are bizarre. They have no problem with legal rape with an instrument (Virginia) simply because they it is part of their fantasy. They really don't care about preventing pregnancy. They would never bother to take a male pill. Besides, children show the world they are men. I does not matter whether said kids have food or not.

[lumberjack_jeff]

9. if an oral male contraceptive were important to either party

We'd have one.

[LeftyMom]

10. I wouldn't hold my breath.

First of all, there's a great deal more difficulty in rendering harmless however skillion sperm are in a shot of spooge than in stopping one egg a month. That's why there isn't a reversible male birth control method now, and it's why one's not terribly likely any time soon.

Secondly, because the sort of side effects and occasional failures women deal with would have men rioting in the streets. We put up with them because they suck less than pregnancy, men have no such incentive.

[uppityperson]

14. Hot baths, hot tubs. Make the testes too warm and kill off a bunch of sperms or slow then down.

Your second point is a good one.

[lunatica]

17. You're right

I'm 64 years old and an old feminist warrior. It's always been about controlling women. And then about controlling their slaves and all minorities. Control and power over others is what they live for. They breath, dream and live through this power hunger.