Condoms can be
traced back 5000 years to ancient Egypt.
They were made of animal hide or intestine, and lacked modern day
sophistication, but still had the same purpose. The condom’s
popularity has waxed and waned, but people have never stopped trying to control
their reproductive destinies. Many ancient populations realized the effects
that different medicines have upon pregnancy and would use plants ranging from
common cotton to Queen Anne’s lace (easily
mistaken for Hemlock, which is just straight up bad for you) to prevent or
dispose of unwanted pregnancies. Through urban myth, abortion, infanticide and
penny potions we have steadily produced more and more efficient ways of waiting
until the time is right.
The most common form of birth control
in our modern world is the IUD, primarily used in Europe and Asia. The
non-hormonal form is highly effective, with minor risks. It prevents pregnancy
by stopping the fertilized egg from attaching to the uterine walls. There is
also a hormonal form of the IUD, which is by far the most effective form of
birth control out there. In North America the most common form of birth control
is the pill.
Since the pill became legal there has
been a significant amount of research done about the hormonal effects on women,
and for the most part it seems the outcomes have been extremely positive. Birth
control has been shown to significantly decrease both ovarian and endometrial
cancer, up to 80% for those who have been on it for 10 years or more, and gives
only a slight increase to the chance of cervical cancer, a chance that bases
out soon after stopping birth control. Birth control has also been shown to
help stabilize mood swings, and help clear up bad skin. There are risks –
blood clots and weight gain (a difficulty losing weight would be more accurate)
but these risks are significantly lower than a pregnant woman would suffer.
There’s also the risk of
sexual problems: muted orgasm, reduced sex drive and pain during sex, all of
which would be no fun. Many women, however, feel the benefits of the pill, most
especially related to fertility, greatly outweigh the risks. Modern science has
created a variety of ways to get the necessary hormones; vaginal rings,
patches, and injections; as well as many non-hormonal forms of birth control
such female condoms, plan B, diaphragms and tubal litigation, and research is
always continuing to make better products.
The richer a country gets, the more
its birthrate tends to drop. Most of Africa has been experiencing population
explosions. Africa is home to roughly 1/7th of the world’s
population, but it is estimated that half of the people born in the next 40
years will be African. This is a subject of great contestation between people
all over the world. Many, such as Melinda Gates, think it is important to allow
Africans the opportunity to curb this massive growth. She has helped billions
of dollars be funded into birth control options for women in developing
nations. Many Africans, however, consider this meddling in African
affairs to be yet another form of imperialistic control which skitters the
human rights line. Some have even stated that her actions execute forms of
gender bias and eugenics. This side of the argument thinks that Africans should
be allowed to solve their own problems, and educate people in the way they see
fit. Many African countries, especially Nigeria, are hoping to soon become
world powers and see this money as yet another way for rich nations of the
world to curb African progress.
There are many
other problems that come into play with birth control in Africa. Safe disposal
of the drugs, for example. Not only would excess birth control pills need to be
disposed of, but the hormones which women excrete during urination would be
introduced into the water system. A Canadian study mimicked the effect that the
pill has in urban cities by placing similar quantities of the pill into a
secluded lake. Almost 1/3 of the male fish exposed to these high levels of
estrogen were found with eggs in their testes. Easy access to birth control
also runs the risk of forcing African countries to deal with problem of aging
populations. In many other countries in the world pensions are beginning to run
out and many young people are beginning to feel the burden of caring for
seniors.
Many Africans
argue that instead of spending billions of dollars on birth control the money
should instead go to food programs, education and micro-businesses, as well as
programs that protect abused women; the ones victimized by prostitution, forced
marriages and violence; rather than women who are concerned with how many
children they will have. Many others argue that programs should exist that
emphasize chastity (this has been tried in many countries, notably America, and
it has failed miserably, but who knows if it might not work better in a
different culture.) These people are afraid that birth control will lead to
infidelity, disease and neighborhoods that lack the soothing sound of children’s laughter.
Pro-birth control advocates, however,
have some powerful arguments. 358,000 women and 3 million newborns die each year worldwide due to
pregnancy and childbirth. 10 to 15 percent of those numbers are believed to be
deaths caused by unsafe abortions. 49 million unintended pregnancies every year
result in 21 million abortions, many of which are also unsafe because of
restrictive laws. In many countries women do not or cannot choose contraception
because of health fears (most of which are erroneous), culturally infused biases,
lack of access (some must travel days to the nearest city to find adequate
preventative measures), high cost and opposition from their partners and
society. Women get pregnant and must deal with the consequences: either the
emotional consequences of an abortion, or the emotional and financial
consequences of a child. Overpopulation is another growing concern. It is
getting harder and harder to feed so many people, and the environmental
side-effects of our rampant reproduction are beginning to be noticed. Some
argue that ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ and future
generations will find solutions, but this seems to be a half-analyzed argument.
Knowingly creating problems for our descendants to deal with creates a system
of problem-dodging which can only lead to a cataclysmic dead-end.
It’s a strange thing
that seems to happen when women are allowed to decide whether or not they will
have children. Women on birth control are more likely to finish school. And
when they do decide to have children they are more likely to be financially and
emotionally prepared. Their children reap the benefits of their parents
patience and are more likely themselves to do better in life. These women who
were allowed to choose what happens in their bodies are also able to further
their careers, and advance the state of women as a whole. Imagine if the need
for contraception that exists were met; imagine there were 53 million less
unplanned pregnancies, 25 million less abortions, and 7 million less
miscarriages. Imagine saving the lives of tens of thousands of women per year
as well as averting hundreds of thousands of newborn deaths. Imagine women that
could have sex freely, without the monthly worry of an unwanted child; women
who weren’t forced to abstain because they already have one child,
and they aren’t quite ready for a second.
Birth control is
generally considered to be a ‘woman’s issue’. The only realistic options for men at this juncture are
condoms and vasectomies. Condoms are just an all around good idea, but are by no
means perfect, some reports give them a failure rate as high as 15%.
Vasectomies, with a little squirming room for doctor error and the body’s incredible
ability to heal, are incredibly effective.
Almost 100% effective. Which is too effective. Vasectomies are a
terrible short-term choice. They are difficult to reverse, and doing so can
cause a myriad of problems. Unless a man knows without any doubt that he will
never, ever have children a vasectomy is a risky option.
Cue RISUGs
(Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance), the current leader of which is
known as Vasalgel: an almost 100% effective, cheap, reliable, fully reversible
form of birth control for men that has been around for almost 30 years. Doctors
have figured out a way to inject a polymer gel into the vas deferens which,
over the course of a couple of days, creates a sperm shredding tube around the
inner lining. The procedure takes about 15 minutes, lasts 10 years and costs
less than 100$. Think of how many babies people could not have for 100$! Trials
are currently happening in India, with hopes that the product will be available
to the rest of the world by 2015. 25 years of tests have shown the procedure to
be safe for both humans and animals. Ready to have babies? Another quick shot,
this time baking soda and water, flushes out the system and within 3 months it’s baby making
time. Did I mention that there’s also some evidence that RISUGs simultaneously kills off
HIV?
I’ve heard good and
bad things about pills and IUDs. Some of my friends couldn’t go without them,
and I have no babies so I’m a big fan. But there’s always the fear
that something went wrong. The fear that the one day my girlfriend forgot to
take her pill was our undoing, or that the pill had slowly been making her sick.
I’m sure there’s some risk
involved with RISUGs, but they seem insignificant to the many of the risks that
women have to take with hormone control. And you can’t beat the
convenience, one shot every ten years. This quick procedure could work
miracles, especially in places where going to get birth control every couple of
months is a hassle. Most importantly it puts some of the burden of reproductive
responsibility on men. It isn’t enough that we just carry around a condom and call it a
day.
I’m not saying
everybody should use birth control. If people want to have eight babies and
they have the means to support them, then they should have a great time. But if
people don’t want children then options should be available to them.
And if that’s their choice then Vasalgel is an incredible preventative
measure. Birth control can save lives. It can make lives easier. It allows
people to make choices, and divides responsibility. Tell your husbands. Tell
your boyfriends. Tell your brothers, your cousins, your nieces and nephews.
Tell everyone. The onus of responsible procreation is on all of us.
Wanna see a fun,
nutritional example of how Vasalgel works? Click on the link below.
And some other
stuff
Matthew Ariss
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