Male contraception may require minor sacrifices? Uh, no!

Upon reading this post at Gizmodo about a new male contraceptive implant, I have to say: cry me a fucking river.

Scientists in Australia are developing a radio-controlled contraceptive implant that would control the flow of a man’s sperm at the flick of a switch. The valve would be “push-fit” inside the vas deferens (duct that carries sperm from the testicles to the penis) and could be opened or closed remotely depending on the baby making needs of the user. This is making me a bit nauseous, but I will forge ahead…

Oh man, having an implant in your body so that you don’t conceive? That sounds terrible. I can’t believe anyone would willingly go through that!

But what if your doctor is an asshole? You know, the kind of guy that will mess with his patient’s junk from afar? Or what if the controls were stolen? It would be worrisome to say the least.

Yeah, what would it be like if your doctor or other health care professionals — or heck, even your partner — wanted to mess with your reproductive choices?! Or what if they wanted to prevent you from getting such a device, or on the flip side, to force you to get one? That would suck!

That, and the very real possibility that the valve will clog with protein over time and the user will become permanently infertile. Still, this does seem like a viable alternative if it ever becomes a reality.

Gee, must be tough for dudes to have to weigh some health risks and potential long-term side effects with other concerns — like not wanting kids yet, but also not wanting to opt for permanent sterilization. Can’t imagine what that’s like.
Further evidence that the real reason we don’t have more male contraceptive options is not a lack of science — it’s a lack of will. Yeah, guys, it can be pretty scary to think about all of the problems and ramifications of certain methods of contraception. Welcome to our world.