Birth Control for Men?
 
Birth Control for Men?
Written By Ecce Verum   |   10.23.24
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Last time, we discussed a recent development in “male contraceptives,” and how the market for a product like this is estimated at $200 billion. 

We then asked why male contraceptives might be in such high demand. To do this, we went on a brief excursion about The Lie: Women are exactly like men, and should be treated exactly like them.

We also talked about how The Lie never really works, because men and women will always be fundamentally different. And when we crash into this fact, we often turn on the men to “level the playing field.”

We’ve gone on a decades-long crusade to flatten the differences between men and women, and it never seems to quite work. Nevertheless, we continually try really hard.

Okay, now, here’s my theory for how The Lie ties in with male contraceptives. 

One of the major assumptions latent in today’s sexual mayhem is that women are just like men, so women ought to be able to experience sex like men do. After all, men have no “immediate” consequences. 

A man can be a loser and fool around, then be a further loser and abandon his woman. The woman now must experience nine months of pregnancy, childbirth, and then a stressful life as a single mom for 18 years (or the pain of separating from her child) before it’ll be “over” for her. 

So sure, the man’s a loser, but at least he’s not “stuck” with the baby like the woman is. 

(Now, I’m not being easy on the men. I’ve written before on how shameful it is for a man to do this. I believe there will be serious spiritual consequences for men like this when they stand before God. But from a worldly perspective, men do have it “easier.”)

You see, the way human reproduction is set up, the woman is the one who is most intimately connected with the child from the very beginning. And if you believe children are a hindrance, that means that the woman is the most significantly hindered from the very beginning. 

And if you have a problem with that, then you’ll find ways to keep women from being hindered. Contraceptives and abortion are drastically different in moral status, but they both have the common effect of making sex as consequence-free for women as it is for men. 

Aha! Look! We’ve leveled the playing field.

But wait. There’s always that one problem. 

You can never truly erase the difference between male and female, and this time, we’re talking biology. You see, biologically speaking, men can automatically have consequence-free sex (again, you know what I mean); women have to take drugs to do it. 

That isn’t fair. Men are supposed to be just like women. So instead of taking a step back and wondering if there could possibly be some kind of reason the two reproductive systems are different, and if there’s possibly a purpose they ought to perform—oh, I don’t know, maybe so the woman can actually have a baby—we now turn on the men to level the playing field. 

Okay, men, you have to take drugs, too. As one interviewee put it, “I kind of think it’s unfair, that [the burden of contraception] only lands on the women.” And as a medical source puts it, these male contraceptives give hope for “potentially leveling the playing field when it comes to pregnancy prevention.”

Instead of honoring God’s design wherein two different sexes complement each other, we’re floundering around trying to make everything equal. As I see it, male contraceptives are The Lie trying to solve a problem that The Lie helped cause.

“Since women are just like men, women ought to have consequence-free sex like men. But that would mean women have to take special drugs. Okay, since men are just like women, men have to take special drugs too.”

Please note, as I wrap this up, that none of what I’ve just said is intended to say whether male contraceptives are wrong. Given the value system of consequence-free sex, it would seem to make sense that men should help stop the consequences just like women. 

All I’ve tried to do in this article is show how I believe male contraceptives are part of a larger trend—The Lie—which is wrong. 

It’s just manifesting itself in this odd way when it comes to contraceptives.

But if you were worried I was going to back away from the moral issues behind contraceptives, rest assured. I’ve intentionally stayed away from making those claims in this article, but I have plenty to say about that, too. 

Stay tuned.


Ecce Verum
Ecce Verum is passionate about the gospel of Jesus Christ and how God’s redemptive work relates to every aspect of life. His earnest desire is to steward well the resources and abilities that God has given him, in whatever situation God may have him. Currently, Ecce is pursuing a B.A. in classical liberal arts at New Saint Andrews College, with the intention to enter law school after graduation and fight for the truth in the legal and political fields. However, he does enjoy aptly written words regardless of the topic, and has contributed to blogs on apologetics and debate in...
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