Media interest in contraceptive options for men has surged in recent weeks -- in both contraceptive methods available now and those still in development. Right now, condoms, vasectomies and the withdrawal method are the only options available for a man to prevent an unwanted pregnancy-all of which have their obvious limitations. While most women have a number of birth control options to choose from, why is there a glaring gap in male-controlled methods?
The next generation of male contraceptive methods, including pills, injectibles and implants, has been in research and development for over 20 years, yet experts still predict that it will be four to ten years at best before we see a marketable product. Recent articles in The LA Times, the Washington Post, and Time Magazine have cited the lack of public interest and, ultimately, the lack of a market for pharmaceutical companies as the major reasons for the lag in male contraception development. Researchers name the failure of pharmaceutical companies to invest in large clinical trials as a major hang up and state that pharmaceutical companies are out of touch with "public and medical perceptions of need." Indeed, a spokeswoman for Organon was quoted last year in Chemistry World, an industry journal, as saying the prospect of a male contraceptive "acceptable to a wide population of men is unlikely."
But is this really the case? Does the American public truly think that new forms of male birth control have little use in modern-day family planning? Is it true, as I've heard sprinkled throughout my conversations with individuals and the blogosphere, that we don't trust men to use a new male contraceptive reliably? Kirsten Thompson, director of the Male Contraception Coalition and one of the few advocates for male contraception, has had similar experiences. "The biggest hurdle that I've encountered in trying to share this information is a sort of knee-jerk reaction that men aren't interested in these kinds of contraceptives and that women won't trust them to take them," she says.
What is clear is the
media, bloggers
and researchers are talking about male contraception-the potential successes,
failures and implications. Last year the
National Institutes of Health held a "Future of Male Contraception" conference
in Seattle,
highlighting the science and technical aspects of male contraception
development, but lending little to advocacy.
In addition to Thompson's Male Contraception Coalition, the only other
advocacy organization dedicated to male contraception is the Male Contraception Information
Project headed by Elaine Lissner. Where is the larger, coordinated advocacy for
the future of these technologies and where is the broader support for the
rights of men to control their fertility and become more active family
planners?
As reproductive health and rights advocates we can take a proactive stance and seize this opportunity to show that we are committed to our values of equality. This is a chance to debunk harmful gender stereotypes and to build connections between men, the oft-forgotten stakeholders in reproduction, and the traditionally (and necessarily so) woman-focused reproductive health community. We can lend our knowledge, advocacy and lessons learned from the struggle to achieve women's reproductive rights to this new revolution. With the prospect of male contraception, we have an opportunity to educate and engage men in the importance of family planning options and to ultimately gain an untapped constituency for gender equity and reproductive justice.
