Two New Male Birth Control Chemicals In Advanced Stages

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."

Comments

Time for men's liberation

[AmiMoJo]

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.

Re:Time for men's liberation

[Anonymous Coward]

As moving targets and potential victims of the "women and children" state that will punish a Man to the ends of the Earth for having the audacity to father a child.

Re:Time for men's liberation

[Tyr07]

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.

Re:Time for men's liberation

[flink]

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.

Was it the pill that led to women's liberation? Or was it penicillin? The pill allows women to have sex without getting pregnant. Penicillin allowed people to have sex without getting diseases. AIDS has somewhat rolled that back.

Before HIV, there was still always Herpes, Hepatitis, HPV.... e.g. anything viral. People were just more ignorant of STDs 50 years ago, but that doesn't meant they still weren't getting them. You're still going to want a condom on the first date no matter how many new types of contraception get invented.

Re:Time for men's liberation

[serviscope_minor]

Sex is all about trust.

No it ain't, it's about shagging.

Think of the children.

[Anonymous Coward]

This is a murder of potentially trillions of human beings and as such an obvious affront to god!

Curing cancer

[Anonymous Coward]

TFA: [...] discovered that the JQ1 molecule blocked a bromodomain in cancer cells, causing them to forget how to be cancer. [...] Researchers are looking for a version of the molecule that works on the testicle protein only, to avoid any weird side effects

Since when slowing down cancer is a "weird side effect"? :D

This type of preventative would be awesome

[burtosis]

This could really help men everywhere, there are a ton of options for women but very few for men. I can only hope when the day comes that it's viewed as a positive direction from all rights groups. Doubtful, but one can dream.

Universal Zero Tolerance of Side Effects

[EmagGeek]

"anti-cancer researchers at Harvard, discovered that the JQ1 molecule blocked a bromodomain in cancer cells, causing them to forget how to be cancer."

"Researchers are looking for a version of the molecule that works on the testicle protein only, to avoid any weird side effects."

Umm... can I please have the side-effects, if the side effects are, you know, NOT GETTING CANCER?

Re:Universal Zero Tolerance of Side Effects

[AuralityKev]

Makes you wonder what the *ahem* delivery system would be... "Cmon, we don't need a condom, I'll cure your cancer!"

Re:Not a fucking chance.

[BarbaraHudson]

Birth control is a womens issue.

You won't get a judge to agree with you if you accidentally father a child.

I won't be putting any unknown chemicals into my body for HER sake.

And yet you want her to put chemicals into her body for YOUR fun and enjoyment. Nice troll :-(

Re:Not a fucking chance.

[XxtraLarGe]

Birth control is a womens issue.

You won't get a judge to agree with you if you accidentally father a child.

I like how this issue is always 1-sided. It's a woman's choice if she wants to have an abortion, but the guy doesn't have a choice to not support the child if the woman wants to have it but he doesn't.

Sad For My Gender

[Jason Levine]

The number of responses here along the lines of "women always trick men into marriage by getting pregnant" or "birth control is a woman's responsibility" make me sad for my gender. I can't be the only man on Slashdot who 1) respects women (my wife and I both manage our portions of birth control together - I would never suggest that's HER job and not for me to be bothered with), 2) sees fatherhood as a positive outcome - not something that is only entered into via trickery, and 3) would like to see new birth control methods available on the market (whether or not this one would work for my wife and I aside, the more options the better). Can I?

Re:Sad For My Gender

[Tyr07]

You should be sad for humanity, because men or women, both do some pretty shitty things.

That aside, women, rightfully in my opinion, call out that it's their body, they have the right to make choices that affect their body.
Yet for everyone pointing a finger a men, what happened to this right to choose what happens to your body, what, you get the right to chose but don't have
the responsibility?

Male birth control is the right step forward for equality for men. You see, although all the more extreme fem groups are all looking at the CEO's and measuring their own personal wealth against it, deciding it's the old boys club, there are other areas that have inequity for men, such as decreased pleasure sexually to prevent pregnancy, the way the courts favor women for parenting, that family courts are HEAVILY populated by women, almost always a female judge with female representatives, and that men are on the hook for children women decide to keep or come to term.

Well, this is one way we can make our own choices about what responsibilities we're going to accept and it will be out of a woman's hand, so I'm all for it.

Re:Sad For My Gender

[eepok]

People comment based on experiences or the stories of others.

Women have, historically, had the socially-supported option of getting pregnant instead of being old and single or instead of entering the workforce. In fact, entering the workforce is still a relatively new concept for women and still not universal throughout the world. Men still have the socially-enforced expectation of tying one's finances to the mother of his children regardless of the involvement of those men in the lives of the children or the mother. This is a genuine hobbling of the uninvolved man's life post impregnation and thus fear of a coerced pregnancy is a significant fear amongst men. As a result, SOME men are suspicious of women when it comes to birth control.

Thus, you shouldn't be surprised by pessimistic online comments reading as "Women trick men into marriage by getting pregnant".

But it does not define the entirety of the population. It MAY describe a part of an aging population of experiences (the younger generation doesn't seem too keen on popping babies out), but by no means defines an entire community.

You can see such patterns of experiences -> comments by taking a look at your own. Your experience with your wife (cooperative birth control expectations, a happy outlook on parenthood, etc.) will bias you towards believing that women have not/do not use pregnancy as a investment-- but it would also suggest that you're fairly far-removed from the lives your male peers if you cannot understand their fears.

Re:Not a fucking chance.

[Raseri]

I didn't realize straw men could father children. Thank you for enlightening us.

Boon to rapists?

[MouseTheLuckyDog]

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.

Re:Not a fucking chance.

[XxtraLarGe]

Well guess what? Maybe you should have taken a little bit of responsibility by using a condom?

That does not address the original issue. Would you find it acceptable for someone to say "Maybe you should have taken a little responsibility and not spread your legs" to a woman? If not, why is it o.k. to say that to the guy?

Re:Not a fucking chance.

[d34thm0nk3y]

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

Women are also in control of the global condom supply, apparently.

How does something so completely wrong get modded so highly?