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Two New Male Birth Control Chemicals In Advanced Stages

Posted by samzenpus on from the man-pills dept.

BarbaraHudson writes Researchers at the University of Kansas and Harvard are working to give men more choices for avoiding unwanted pregnancies. From the article: "H2-gamendazole keeps sperm from maturing. The unfinished sperm fragments are then reabsorbed into the testis, never ending up in the semen. 'If there's no sperm, the egg's not going to get fertilized,' says Joseph Tash, a reproductive biologist at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Almost two years ago, the FDA reviewed the compound, and now the agency wants Tash to investigate if the compound remains in the semen and whether that would harm a woman if it ends up in the vagina. Jay Bradner, working with other anti-cancer researchers at Harvard, discovered that the JQ1 molecule blocked a bromodomain in cancer cells, causing them to forget how to be cancer. One side effect is that JQ1 also obstructed a testicle-specific bromodomain called BRDT, making the sex cells that would otherwise produce sperm non-functional — mice treated with JQ1 can hump with abandon yet generate zero mouselings. Researchers are looking for a version of the molecule that works on the testicle protein only, to avoid any weird side effects."

6 of 369 comments (clear)

  1. Time for men's liberation by AmiMoJo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It would be awesome if this could be part of a men's liberation movement, like how women were liberated in the 60s when the pill became available. Not just contraception, a change in the way men look at themselves.

    --
    const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    1. Re:Time for men's liberation by Tyr07 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Well, this will take away that excuse for behaving irresponsibly.

      Right, because men make the choice if the child was given up for adoption, day after pill or abortions. Or the fact that men don't have to carry a growing life inside of them with potential medical risks and bringing into the world, you know, because, that's clearly not possibly in the range of responsibility for a woman.

      I'm responsible myself, but seriously, if I would get a tiny life form growing inside of me, I would assume it's MY responsibility to decide if *I* want that to happen to me. Pro choice pro your body pro your responsiblity? Yeah no one likes that last part. Lot of special interest groups are pro everything I want except the responsibility that comes with that freedom of choice.

      This alternative will be a true freedom for men however, especially for couples when birth control doesn't work well for some women out there.

      However, this will also protect men from some other issues, like forced responsibility for the irresponsibility of women. If a women makes the mistake of not ensuring she will not get pregnant when both parties claim not to want children, there is no forced responsibility for a child to grow up in a broken home and finances garnished. You'll lose that "Well You're A MAN and you're responsible too!" Because a lot of us will be, a lot more than you would expect, and it will shift things in our favor.

      In addition, this will be so new that for women who do cheat (No no, not accusing all women, men do it to, yatta yatta, get your narrow minded self interests out), it will create a different scenario where more women won't be on birth control, but men will be. So when she suddenly gets knocked up, this is going to be interesting on a social / society level.

    2. Re:Time for men's liberation by penguinoid · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Time for men's liberation

      Not yet! They accidentally found a cure for cancer, so they have to get rid of the cure for cancer before they'll sell this to you.

      --
      Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
  2. Re:Not a fucking chance. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    You should have something to say when you have to deal with 18 years of financial responsibility wile having no/little interaction with an actual child.

  3. Re:Not a fucking chance. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Why? It takes two to tango.

    Because the only satisfactorily effective means of birth control are all in the hands of women, from the pill through the morning after pill to abortion. Additionally, as women would have us believe, pregnancy doesn't affect men nearly as much as it affects women. It seems only natural that women should take responsibility for that then. It's a shame that the responsibility seems to end when someone has to pay for the result.

    Male contraceptives will cause a lot of women to be childless, women who would now find a sucker and "forget" the pill. You see, birth control isn't just a burden, it's also a form of control that isn't implied by its name, one that men don't currently have.

  4. Boon to rapists? by MouseTheLuckyDog · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If the sperm is destroyed, is there anything left that contains DNA in the semen?

    If not that this could be a big boon to rapists who no longer have to worry about leaving their DNA behind.