3 ms·

The best birth control in the world is one that allows women to have control (and peace of mind) over the process/efficacy.

• jff 15y ago
  They already have that. It's very nice that there's also something men can have, both to supplement female birth control and to provide peace of mind for the man. It's not a "one or the other" proposition.
  • egiva 15y ago
    Yeah, why not have two contraceptive methods in play - like a "Plan A" and a "Plan B"? I think you're on the right track here. Many men, including myself, feel pretty equal with their spouse in terms of family planning, but having a Plan B would definitely give me more peace of mind "just in case" haha.
  • dfc 15y ago
    Um, "best" neccesarily implies a "one or the other" proposition.
    • i_cannot_hack 15y ago
      No, "best" means that one is more effective than the other, it does in no way mean that only one method should be used.
• earbitscom 15y ago
  Good point, but I'd argue for both people. The best birth control in the world is one that both parties know has actually been administered.
• monochromatic 15y ago
  Why is the best birth control in the world so one-sided?
  • angersock 15y ago
    Because men clearly are not as invested in the possible rearing of a child. Clearly. (seriously: making a kid should be && not || )
    • dfc 15y ago
      Thank you. I was a little surprised that my comment got downvoted so much. Maybe this is due to the low percentage of female HNers? Its as if most people think that the pill would have been as revolutionary if it were for men instead of women.
      • angersock 15y ago
        Erm, I think there may have been a bit of a misunderstanding in my attempt at some dry humor. :( I intended to imply disagreement with your claim, mostly due to the one-sided nature of it (as my parent reply suggested). I imagine the downvotes are due to the fact that your phrasing seems to imply that the male should have no say in the matter. It's not that women should not have control over the process (perhaps even most of it), but that both parties need to have the ability to say, finally and without being overruled, "no this will not result in a child." That was the purpose of my comment, it should be a (she->wantsChild() && he->wantsChild()) makeChild(); not (she->wantsChild() || he->wantsChild()) makeChild(); sort of deal. EDIT: "Its as if most people think that the pill would have been as revolutionary if it were for men instead of women." I think you've hit it right on the head here, though. The advent of the pill allowed for equality of sexes in the manner suggested above. Had it been for men, I don't think it would've changed much at all. However, now that that is the case, we've kind of got a situation where women can choose to have relations without getting pregnant regardless of what their partner is doing, whereas for men the options are both limited and uncomfortable. A woman on the pill can have sex without protection (though there are obvious caveats, of course, know/trust your partner, etc. etc.) and still be assured of results, whereas for a man he pretty much has to either be wearing a condom (uncomfortable) or have had a vasectomy. This would be another round of equalization, better for everyone.
        • 15y ago
• mc32 15y ago
  I think in this case they are using "best" to mean "effective" as in "will work as advertised". Rather than the more subjective "best" overall.
• tomjen3 15y ago
  How does this change anything for the female? If she doesn't trust the partner, but still wants to have sex with him, she can be on the pill, use a condom or use something else. This simply gives men additional choices and allows couples where the female isn't able to use birth control to have sex without producing a baby. The only 'choice' this takes away is the females choice (properly rare, but still feared) to claim she is on the pill and really that has never been reliable.
• ImprovedSilence 15y ago
  I can't explain the downvotes, but you brought up a very good point, any guy can just say he's good to go, and be lying just to get a piece. A girls best to bet is to look out for herself.