By Jennifer Mckean
Arizona Daily Wildcat
November 25, 1997

Calling Shots?

Arizona Daily Wildcat Jennifer Mckean

Would you trust your sexual partner(s) with the responsibility of birth control? It's a tough question that means something different in every relationship, but it is something you have to ask yourself.

There is so much casual sex going on. Who's taking the responsibility for birth control? Sometimes the woman, sometimes the man, sometimes nobody. That is why millions of children are born every year to parents who neither want them nor are ready to accept parental responsibilities. Lack of responsibility beginning at conception is the cause of most child abuse and neglect.

If more people were conscious of the possibility of pregnancy, they would be more interested in preventive measures. At least I would like to think so. We are young, and many of us think that we are invincible to real-life consequences. What if you or your partner became pregnant? I bet many of you haven't given it much thought.

How well do you really know the people you have had intimate relations with?

Some of you know and love them very much, some are friendly acquaintances and some of you would be lucky to remember their name the next morning.

Male birth control pills will soon revolutionize the market, and men will finally have the contraceptive options women have had for decades. The question is, are men willing to accept their role in birth control?

Women have always had the options of using a number of contraceptives, including: the diaphragm, the sponge, IUDs, the pill, cervical caps, Norplant, Depo Provera, the female condom, "morning after" pills, ovulation detectors, foams, jellies, suppositories, sterilization and more.

Men have had limited involvement in the birth control decisions with as few options of contraception as withdrawal, using a condom and having a vasectomy (male sterilization). If men are going to be so involved in family planning, which they should be, they must be offered the means with which to regulate their fertility in a safe, effective, reversible, non-surgical way.

The new male pill is a combination of testosterone and progestogen and is tested to be as effective as its counterpart for women. The side effects are few and comparable to those of the female hormonal pill. Testosterone can cause modest weight gain, higher cholesterol in some men, acne and mood changes.

A goal for male contraceptive researchers is to develop two options for men: a daily pill (like the one women take) and a long-lasting injection men can take once every four months. It lowers their sperm count, even to zero in about half of the men who took part in the studies.

The focus of contraception research has definitely been on women. Why is that? Because we are the ones who carry the baby for nine months, endure the pains of delivery and are often left to raise the children? Do men think that women are more responsible? Taking a pill every day at the same time, no matter where you are or what you are doing, can be quite a hassle.

The new pill for men, I think, would only really benefit married couples who love and trust each other. In that case, birth control is a joint effort, and there's no issue of trust or distrust. In a monogamous relationship where trust is an issue, a man could cover his back if he is unsure the woman is taking the responsibility seriously. In that case, the male birth control pill would serve as double protection.

The pill wouldn't be so beneficial to those who participate in casual sex, if it is the only form of birth control used, because it doesn't protect from sexually transmitted diseases.

There aren't many other benefits to the male pill. The female birth control pill can be useful for a number of things. For example, it usually regulates her cycle, it helps prevent osteoporosis and my doctor said that it also decreases the chance of breast cancer. There are many more reasons for women to use a form of birth control pills, so why market the male pill at all?

If a man has the extra responsibility of going out and obtaining his own birth control pills every month, paying for them and remembering when to take them and what to do if certain circumstances arise, it shows that he is mature enough to handle the commitment of a sexual relationship.

If men were given more responsibility starting with intercourse, they would be more likely to be involved in the whole childbearing process. Studies consistently show a lack of paternal involvement in families today. Maybe that is because many men are regarding birth control as a woman's issue. That may change as many new methods of male birth control hit the market by the end of the 21st century.

Jennifer McKean is a junior majoring in journalism.