Birth Control Pill for Men

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

In a move that is almost certain to significantly reduce the number of Bible-thumping GOP politicians who pay for abortions, researchers at the University of Minnesota are in the process of testing a non-hormonal birth control pill designed to be used by men.  According to a paper that was presented at the American Chemical Society last week, the new pill has proven to be 99% effective in mice, and human trials are expected to begin later this year.

Scientists have been trying to develop an oral contraceptive to be used by men for many years as an additional family-planning option.    The pill will also be one more tool in the effort to control population growth.  Most of the previous attempts have focused on using various hormones to attack testosterone, but those have the potential to cause unwelcome side-effects like weight gain, depression, and decreased libido.   The new product being developed at the University of Minnesota does not rely on hormones, and it appears to be highly effective while forgoing all of those unwanted side-effects. 

The mice were rendered sterile while they were being given the pill, and they were able to reproduce six weeks after being taken off of the pill. 

Placing more responsibility on males for birth control is almost certain to generate all sorts of trust issues and unexpected consequences, and will undoubtedly quickly find its way into the plot lines of many novels and movies.  But male contraception will also make the important issue of family planning a responsibility that can be physically shared by both partners.

(And for those whose lives revolve around what other people are doing in the privacy of their own bedrooms, it represents one more insult to an angry God.)

(And for an already severely over-populated planet, oral contraception for males represents another slim thread of a hope for survival.)