[IvoryTowers]

You raise some interesting points but I think there are two reasons why the male bc pill won't catch on.

First, it really is harder than you think to make a pill that works on men. Men create fresh sperm all the time and to chemically deactivate all of them all the time (without side effects that make sex impossible) is very tricky. Companies have been working on it with little success.

Secondly, as has already been pointed out, women are the ones who get pregnant, not men. As much as good guys wouldn't want to get a woman pregnant by mistake, it doesn't have the same level of anxiety for men as for women. How does that translate into the real world? First, think about how many women forget to take bc pills every day. Do you think men would be better at it? Second, would you believe a man who said "Don't worry, I'm on the pill?" Of course not! Women end up responsible for the birth control because if it goes wrong, they end up suffering. That's just biology and if I'm the one whose going to get pregnant, I want to be the one in control of stopping it!

However, in long term relationships I think the man should step forward to get snipped. The woman has dealt with birth control and possibly also with child bearing and he should take his turn! The only reason I was the one who got fixed is because Mr. Ivory is a good bit younger than me. If I died in a car crash tomorrow or next year, the chances that his second wife would still be in the wanting children phase would be very high (and he would not be opposed). But if Mr. Ivory was sure he would never want children, it would have been his operation, not mine.