'The Pill' for Men

We've heard of female birth control pills. We've heard of condoms. But a new form of contraception may end up slipping its way into the curriculum of sex education and the hands of young college students everywhere: a birth control pill for men.

When it comes to the concerns of potential pregnancy, the burden has often seemed to fall on female shoulders. After all, if impregnated, women are the ones to carry the baby and must choose from abortion, adoption, and childbirth. In an effort to take more control of this life-altering event, various contraceptives have been produced.

Condoms seem to pop up anywhere—in Wal-Mart, in bowls on the desks of health counselors, and even in vending machines. Although no contraceptive is as promising as abstinence, the female birth control pill has 95% effectiveness against pregnancy. An option for women, it tampers with hormones, preventing ovulation and making it more difficult for sperm to penetrate an egg.

What about men? They, too, have responsibilities and risks tied to sexual relationships. Unless men are willing to have a vasectomy, the only form of contraception currently available to them is the condom. However, a male contraceptive pill may fast be approaching.

Unlike the hormonal effects of the female birth control pill, the male pill would use chemical compounds to specifically hinder the creation of sperm cells. By diminishing the sperm count to zero, the chance of conception should be reduced to zero. The rest of the sexual experience would remain the same. Even semen would still be produced, only it would not contain the sperm cells required to fertilize an egg. As for concerns about side effects, test results so far have been minimal, especially in comparison to the possible side effects of female birth control pills.

As great as this may sound, the questions for college students remain: Will guys want it, will girls trust it; how will it affect the youth's attitude towards sex; how might it alter gender roles?

Some students take a more scientific approach. “I guess if it’s known to be relatively reliable, then more options can only be a good thing,” said Taylor Smith, a sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin. “I don’t see any reason to not be in support of such a drug.”

On the other hand, some students debate on the responsibility of consistently taking the pill. “Despite the fact that it sounds like a great idea, I don’t think it’ll be effective just based on the fact that we have to trust the guys to take it," argues Ling, a junior at NYU whose last name will remain anonymous. "They’re not the ones who will get pregnant, so they will definitely not care as much as the females. I guess if both party takes the pills, that decreases the chances of pregnancy, but do guys really want to decrease their sperm count?"

Women are not the only ones hesitant. Men, too, question both the benefits and the drawbacks. Greg Headberg, a sophomore at San Jacinto College, said, “It would allow men to have more control and not have to depend on the woman to make sure she takes her pill. Some women purposely trick men into getting them pregnant. However, this could be one of those things that seem so great now and then later on it has horrible long-term effects.”

Furthermore, the issues of youth attitudes toward sex and gender roles come into the forefront. Julia Alcazar, an exchange student currently at the University of Portsmouth, England, considers both.

"As bad as it is now, I worry it would encourage youth a little more to have sex by easing everyone's minds. I think morals play a big part in this, but whether someone's religious or not, I'm sure I wouldn't want my 15-year-old daughter or son taking pills and having sex. I think guys would get a lot of grief at first if they said they took the pill because it's socially accepted for women. If a guy went out with friends and said, ‘Yeah, I take the pill,’ I bet the other guys would make him feel like a loser."

As science, societal sanctions, and morality come into contact, the questions of who gains and who loses from this newly developed male contraceptive pill will be under debate for quite a while.