Birth Control Men and Women Essay Example

More than 50 years after the first contraceptive pill became available to Australian women, research into new contraceptives has come to a grinding halt and women are still stuck with modified versions of old products to manage their fertility. Why are women burdened more with birth control than men who should have equal responsibility? Women have a number of choices for birth control, ranging from pills to patches, even going as far as to undergo major irreversible surgery to get their tubes tied. A woman does this all by herself using money out of her own pocket. The discrepancy between the number of female and male birth control methods gives insight into how problematic these tactics really are. It forces women to bear most of the financial and health-related burdens of contraception. She cannot get pregnant without the assistance of a male counterpart but she prevents pregnancy alone. However, in March of 2022 at the University of Minnesota, it was announced that a newly constructed hormonal contraceptive pill was 99 per cent effective in preventing pregnancy by testing on male mice.  

Recent talks about the abortion legislation seem to be driving the public interest in creating new forms of male contraception. In this new reality proposed, men's continued indifference to birth control is morally unacceptable. Women always face risks from pregnancy, risks to their careers, and more importantly, their health Researchers have been playing around with male contraception since the 1970s but a lack of urgency surrounds the issue.  According to a 2020 article published in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, both men and women express support for using male contraceptive methods. Furthermore, the majority of men - that being 78% of men - believe that family planning is “an equal responsibility” for both partners. Hormonal and non-hormonal methods have been slightly researched but these studies are largely unfunded and have received little media attention. Both men and women are open to novel male contraceptives but the minimal research is ultimately obstructing any potential progress. 

Women currently bear most of the financial burdens of contraception compared to men who have affordable contraceptives. Despite the renowned fact that women usually have a lower socioeconomic status, contraceptive spending accounts for about 30-44 per cent of a woman's out-of-pocket health care spending, according to the Kaiser Family foundation. Long-acting reversible contraceptives can be cost-efficient and a more effective method of contraception, with failure rates of under 1 per cent compared to the pill with a failure rate of 9 per cent. All GPs can be trained to insert implants or intrauterine devices, but the medicare codes assigned to these methods are miserably inadequate. As the medicare rebates hardly cover the costs of running a practice, GPs downcast to offer this as a cost-neutral intervention without charging private fees, which makes it even harder for women to access these methods. The cost of this service is approximately $600.  It is urgent that a medicare review is to be conducted and include affordable funded items including the insertion of long-acting reversible contraceptives.

A common counterpoint researchers have emphasised is the harmful side effects that contraceptives will have on men.  One study conducted in 2016 predicted a 96 per cent success rate. They gave shots consisting of two hormones to 320 men every eight weeks. The most common side effects were severe acne and mood swings. It was recorded that one man developed severe depression and the researchers had to stop the study. But when they spoke to the men in the study who did not drop out, most said that if the product was in the market, they would use it. Although it has side effects and can be detrimental to their health, no birth control pill is perfect. It is highly hypocritical that this is a highlighted reason why researchers do not continue to look into male contraceptives. Women who take contraceptives go through these exact side effects but with an elevated risk of severe hormonal and health issues. This demonstrates the blatant inconsistency and hinders any progress in developing a male birth control method.

In summary, we as a society need to strip the mentality that a woman bears full responsibility for preventing pregnancy. And teach everyone, particularly boys that it is a shared responsibility. There is minimal research conducted despite both men and women being supportive of the new male hormonal pill. Urgent medicare reviews for affordable funded items will enhance better opportunities in success rates for women. Many may argue the concerning side effects of the pill, however, the blatant hypocrisy researchers have displayed hinders the progress for equality. All of these points are necessary to consider in regards to constructing a male hormonal contraceptive and progressing equal responsibility to both men and women.