[quote=Adebisi][quote=scaredycat]we cannot declare victory until a male birth control exists[/quote]
This is desperately needed and I can’t believe it hasn’t been invented yet. Instead of the woman secretly going off birth control in order to entrap a man with an unplanned (by him) pregnancy, it would be the man secretly going on birth control.
“Beats me. I don’t know why you can’t get pregnant.” Male BC would totally shift the balance of power between men and women.
Until this is invented, no way can women claim that medicine is geared towards primarily serving mens’ needs.[/quote]
Um, guys…it’s been around for a long time already:
The vasectomy is a simple office procedure in which a segment of the tubes carrying the sperm from the testicles is removed, and the ends are sealed off. The procedure takes about ten minutes and is performed under a local anesthetic. [This should be a no-brainer for all those who claim they don’t want to be “trapped” by a woman.]
For the first time, a safe, effective and reversible hormonal male contraceptive appears to be within reach. Several formulations are expected to become commercially available 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. [I think they’ve had a form of BC for men available in Europe for some time — at least I’ve read about it years ago.]
Most women would be more than happy to let men take over the BC responsibility. Oddly enough, though men often complain about being “trapped” they all too often refuse to take any responsibility for their own birth control. They have ALWAYS had choices (abstaining from having sex with women you don’t want to procrate with would be a logical first step, no?).
