without more details, obviously, it sounds pretty rad!
i think my boyfriend would be into using it because then he could pretend to be a robot (and we think robots are awesome).

Just FYI, Ann has posted on this before: http://feministing.com/archives/008534.html#trackback. (Not that I'm complaining, just more info).

I think us ladies should be careful what we wish for.

A lot of women these days selfishly covet the power and control that birth control gives them over a man and over the situation. If male birth control becomes a reality, we wont have complete control or power over the birthing process. Oh, no. (*the sound of millions of women's hearts breaking all across the nation*).

My husband and I were talking about male contraception a while back. Interestingly, he thought more men his age (late 20s) would go for the hormonal (pill) solution than anything surgical ("I just don't want any knives down there!"). He thinks it was absolute folly for drug companies to pull or slow male bc pill development. He also says he'd use a pill regardless of if I was also using birth control of some sort. I think it'd be great if every person took responsibility for birth control.

Personally I think the remote control idea is AWESOME! Can we get something like that for women, as an alternative to tubal ligation? I'd totally go for that. Reversible BC that I don't have to think about every day and doesn't in any way change my blood hormone levels? Hell yeah!

Isn't one of the biggest failure points in a vasectomy when men fail to use protection during the first few weeks after, because even though the vas deferens is closed off, sperm still remain that had already gone through it? And wouldn't that remain a problem with birth control of this sort?

I dunno. I guess it'd probably be more likely that your doctor would have the remote control than that you would, but as described it sounds ripe for misunderstandings as to how it works.

This sounds awesome! It could even allow both partners to have some control, as each partner could check before sex whether or not the valve was closed.

Mags -- I'd never heard that. The two things I had heard of as negatives for a vasectomy are that 1) they're permanent and 2) a not-insignificant number of men have 2 vas deferens(es?), but they only clip one.

I just told my boy friend about this, and his response was 'ingenious'.
I think he'd be all about using it, especially because I have a problem with hormonal birth control (and really wish I didn't).
Oh, and also, just like rileystclair, we think robots are awesome too haha

I would totally want a birth control robot for my boyfriend and myself, but only if the control will make that beep sound a car does once it's locked.

And it sounds like someone has the definition of birth control confused -- we're talking contraception here, not the birthing process, which is pretty much in the baby's power and control, not the mother or father's.

Or you're an MRA convinced that women "get pregnant" to get a man's hard-earned money via child support.

I think this is an interesting concept, I'm all for every human having control over their own reproductive system... :D

I'd totally love to have that kind of reversible control over my fertility. Yay remote control vas deferens-blockers! And yay robots, too.

I always get really excited about this topic because I think it's really interesting. Unfortunately, whenever I bring it up in a discussion, I'm told that a woman would have to be stupid to trust a man with the responsibility of birth control (by the women) and that it should be OUR responsibility because we carry the babies (by the men). I wish I had cooler friends. =(

I'd much rather take a pill than get surgery of any kind. Barring that, condoms are infinitely preferable.

I do think a lot of women would be nervous about reproduction being entirely in a man's hands-- I mean, I trust my boyfriend, but he often can't remember to do the laundry.

There's also a huge opportunity for women to get screwed-- the guy could forget, or lie, or not be 100% responsible and then just run off if anything went wrong.

That being said, I'm all for the sexes sharing reproductive responsibility and can't wait to see what happens with this!

"A decade ago demand wasn't there and it was assumed women wouldn't trust men to take charge of birth control anyway. That has changed."

I'm curious what the evidence is for this.

Why is birth control always the responsibility of women?

I think you can probably figure this one out yourself.

I guess if there are women out there who are going to vote for McCain because he picked "a woman", there are probably women out there who want to give up control over birth control.

"I guess if there are women out there who are going to vote for McCain because he picked "a woman", there are probably women out there who want to give up control over birth control."

...and here I thought we'd all have our very own bc options, not have men take charge of bc.
I'd still use mine, and he'd have his, and we'd be even less likely to make babies- woooohooo!

:D

I think we'd still use a backup method, like a condom or me staying on the pill, but that would be a great additional option. I must say, my last boyfriend was more paranoid about pregnancy than I am, I think worrying about men being irresponsible or manipulative might be relevant for some relationships. Then again, if I don't trust my partner I'd want a condom anyway.

...and here I thought we'd all have our very own bc options, not have men take charge of bc.
I'd still use mine, and he'd have his, and we'd be even less likely to make babies- woooohooo!
:D
Posted by Halo
*************

Good thinking. Babies are cute but there are already a ton out there. I just don't want to hear about how women got knocked up because their douchebag boyfriends or hookups told them they had it covered.

Male BC is a great idea as far as a backup and protecting the man, but women who rely on it exclusively had better be damned sure about their boyfriends.

This is more about men having control and very little about women giving up control. Nothing here precludes a couple from using double contraception. People do this now.

He can wear the zapper and she can use a diaphragm or get a shot or whatever. I think it's great.

The only difference I see is that with condoms you get a double whammy of protection, because condoms offer some protection against STIs.

As it stands, male fertility is decreasing worldwide due to some "unknown" environmental factors. The latest is that cell phone radiation can cause drops in sperm count. I'm figuring with the way the planet is getting fucked up that in another 100 or so years, many more of us in industrialized countries will have to rely on some kind of assisted reproduction anyway.

"I would totally want a birth control robot for my boyfriend and myself, but only if the control will make that beep sound a car does once it's locked."

ahahahahaha YES!

and i don't understand how having male bc options in any way limits what options women have? is this not good to give more control over one's reproduction to every individual?

Male birth control sounds great.
I opted for a vascetomy, now my wife and I enjoy love making even more. We know she will be safe.

It doesn't limit the options, but it might limit the diligence.

Where does the sperm go, exactly?

I would love to have something like this but I don't think my guy would use it just because he already has, erm, delicate balls.

While I agree, in theory, the bigger issue is the one pointed out above - while this may block new sperm farther "up the pipe", it wouldn't do anything for the millions past wherever the valve is installed. So, you'd have to turn it on, then wait a week or two (or month or two, if you want to be as safe as they are with vasectomies).
But, if it lasts for a long time, then it turns procreation into an opt-in... Get it installed, leave it turned off until you actually want a child, turn it on for a few weeks, then shut it off again.

Downside - what if people went around triggering guys' valves in secret? Say, on the train? It's not like you can really check to see whether an internally-installed valve is open or shut.

Mags -- I'd never heard that. The two things I had heard of as negatives for a vasectomy are that 1) they're permanent and 2) a not-insignificant number of men have 2 vas deferens(es?), but they only clip one.

RoRo, after having a vasectomy, there is generally a waiting period until all live sperm that went past the Vas Def before the vasectomy are…no longer live. Pregnancy may still result if a man fails to abstain from sex or use alternative forms of birth control during the waiting period, until the testing for live sperm is completed.

Like any surgical procedure, having a vasectomy carries with it risks and complications as well, even though they are relatively uncommon.
One example of this would be a 1 in 10,000 chance that the cut Vas Def will actually spontaneously rejoin, which, while it may sound cool to just imagine something reconnecting back, obviously means that the procedure was not permanent.

Where does the sperm go, exactly?

I would think that it would be the same as when a man has a vasectomy….the sperm is reabsorbed into the body. The only complication that would be is if the body recognises the reabsorbed sperm as foreign bodies and thus create antibodies which will in turn create an immune reaction. I think I read somewhere that this immune reaction is generally not harmful.

The only complication that would be is if the body recognises the reabsorbed sperm as foreign bodies and thus create antibodies which will in turn create an immune reaction. I think I read somewhere that this immune reaction is generally not harmful.

This is mostly correct. You end up permanently sterile since your body attacks the sperm as soon as they're made, making the vasectomy irreversible. But, heck, they're supposed to be mostly irreversible anyways.

Who said it's OK for birth control to be a woman's responsibility? Who said it's OK for the side effects to be a woman's burden alone?

Just because science hasn't yet solved a problem doesn't mean we as a species think the problem is OK.

For instance, we haven't yet cured cancer, but I think you will have a hard time finding anyone who thinks it's great.

They've been working on male birth control for a long time. And, frankly, I'm ecstatic at the idea of having the power to control whether or not I become a parent the way women do.

It's been my understanding that the reason that a good many of the medical BC methods are aimed at women is a simple difference in hormones and the way pregnancy works. There are more "points of failure" so to speak, whereas for men there's pretty much only one thing that can be done: cut off the flow of sperm. But I could be wrong about that.

Other methods are available to both men and women equally (like condoms), and while not as effective, should be as much a man's responsibility as anything else.

Speaking as a male, I would love to have a pill I could take that would stop my sperm production. I would even get surgery if I thought that there would be little risk of continued pain and that it might be reversible (I'm not willing to take the risk with a vasectomy).

I want to know what the range on that key fob is, and how secure the signal transmitter is...

I think it's fantastic. I usually scoff at mens' rights proponents, but birth control is one issue where men have gotten the short end of the stick.

However, I'd encourage women to keep using their own birth control. Obviously, men aren't affected by pregnancy in the same way that women are, so they'd probably be less careful.

I think its great that both men and woman can use birth control. Obviously women put themselves at risk if they only rely upon males for providing contraception, however both can use BC and both can be self assured that they are in control of the situation together.

I was thinking though, do you think there would be less condom usage due to the availability of male birth control?

I think its great that both men and woman can use birth control. Obviously women put themselves at risk if they only rely upon males for providing contraception, however both can use BC and both can be self assured that they are in control of the situation together.

I was thinking though, do you think there would be less condom usage due to the availability of male birth control?

I think that it would be great for men to finally have some responsibility when it comes to birth control but I also would not just depend on this to work. I think it is still important for the woman to keep using whatever form of protection she is using because you can never be too careful. But at the same time I feel that if men start having a form of birth control then they would be careless as far as using condoms, and there for the chance of spreading diseases will still be a big factor.

Given that condom use is normally regarded as the mans responsibility, are all the people saying "At last men will have to start taking responsibility for birth control" working on the assumption that Condoms are disease control rather than Birth Control?

Also - to the people who are saying 'the woman should make sure to use her own anyway in case the guy lies' - this is also a valid point for men too as it is rather easy for a woman to lie about being on BC. If neither partner wants kids they should each make their own arrangements regardless of what the other says they are doing.

Personally I think it's great but it seems it might have a way to go to remove the risk of permanent sterilization as others have mentioned. There's been poor progress with male hormonal birth control, with the problem not being preventing children but with starting up the ability to have them afterward - an issue they struck it lucky with with female birth control.

No matter what, a barrier method such as a condom should be used to prevent transmission of STD/STIs anyway, if one's partner is NOT someone they trust 100%. You can THINK someone is clean, or using their own BC, or it's a "safe" time of the month, but unless you have regular test results in hand, you don't know. Millions of people in the US each year learn the hard way. Condoms are relatively inexpensive, safe, simple to use, immediately effective, and immediately reversible.

More options for BC are welcome, the more the better. Whether or not I marry or remarry in the future, I've reached my psychological and financial limit of two children. I am not bothered by the concept of a permanent vasectomy or "zapping" my testes for as long as six months at a time, but there are men AND women who may not like that for their relationship. For example, if a woman is say about 40, deciding one wants naturally conceived biological children but having to wait for that long until their partner's sperm count rises again threatens her own fertility (couples cited by TIME magazine said they'd wait six months before consulting a fertility specialist - if a woman OR man are nearing their biological limits (usually later for men), that means it will be more difficult to conceive).

Checking as a guy who would use this. The remaining sperm wouldn't be a problem -- the utility of this would be in family planning, and being able to be a sperm donor to friends. The valve would very rarely be open.

OH, bobbigrl, won't you ever learn? It has nothing to do with controlling MEN -- it has to do with controlling our OWN bodies, and controlling when WE want to have babies (or not have babies). The fact that you think otherwise just goes to show that you do not belong here.

I've heard about this before and I think so many men would be thrilled to not have to use condoms that it's ridiculous. These companies are being very stupid in not funding this kind of development. I mean, how long ago were condoms invented? And don't get me wrong, they're brilliant in their simplicity. But over all these decades, the best thing we've done for male BC is tell them to basically put a bag over it? Meanwhile women take potentially dangerous pills to do something about it? Please, I think we can do better.

I can see this appealing to men who might not want the daily regimen of pill-taking. My concerns would be: How does he know whether it's working? What if the valve breaks? How would he know? What if he forgets which way the valve is switched? How delicate is this device?

More importantly -- and I'm surprised others haven't mentioned this -- this procedure sounds, at least for now, like it would be very expensive, a lot less likely than male oral contraceptives ever to be covered by insurance and a lot more likely than oral contraceptives to be limited to access by fairly well-off men.

A woman can get a pack of pills for as low as $10 a month, depending. What kind of access to contraception will be provided to men who don't have money to burn on elective surgery? Although I think this idea is fabulous, I'm not confident that it would make huge inroads in balancing the burden of regular contraception between men and women.

Bobbigrl...I have literally NO idea what you're talking about.

My ex couldn't remember where he put his socks. I could just imagine..."honey, where is the sperm-blocking fob?"

LOL! I just got the mental image of a guy about to get laid, stop, dig in his pockets, then pull out the fob. Proceed to point it at his crotch, hits the 'lock' button, and you hear the beep a car makes when it's anti-theft protection is enabled. Then...big ass cheesy grin. LOLOL!!

everybodyever, women have similar issues about not "really" knowing if their BC is working (see "typical use" vs. "perfect use", and how effectiveness is typically tracked only a period of the first year of use, not a lifetime), and it would be just as silly for a couple to rely only on the man's BC, or use of it, to prevent pregnancy.

Why would a man want to keep his sperm active one moment, and turn them off the next, then right back on again, as in some people's mental picture? You mean like, turning it off when cheating on his regular partner, with whom he would NOT be against a planned pregnancy and thus keep his sperm active? There's something odd about a man wanting to control his fertility at a moment's notice "as require