Shouldering the Load

Aside from vasectomies and condoms, birth control has been left up to women. But that could change as advances are made in the realm of male birth control. The latest advance is not a pill, but rather a gel. And (sadly for some) it’s not applied where you might imagine. “The 5 milliliter hormonal gel is applied once daily and split between the shoulder blades. The gel’s segesterone acetate component, which is a synthetic progesterone, suppresses hormones needed to maintain testosterone concentrations in the testes, which is where sperm are made, thereby inhibiting sperm production. The testosterone component in this two-part combination ensures that testosterone levels essential for male physiological processes and health are maintained at stable levels.” WaPo (Gift Article): Male birth control gel shows promise in early-stage clinical trials.

+ That’s the science story. But as you know, there’s also a political story. And for some red state officials, ending Roe was only the beginning. Contraception is next. For example, “Republican lawmakers in Missouri blocked a bill to widen access to birth-control pills by falsely claiming they induce abortions. An antiabortion group in Louisiana killed legislation to enshrine a right to birth control by inaccurately equating emergency contraception with abortion drugs. An Idaho think tank focused on “biblical activism” is pushing state legislators to ban access to emergency contraception and intrauterine devices (IUDs) by mislabeling them as ‘abortifacients.'” WaPo (Gift Article): Conservative attacks on birth control could threaten access.

+ Senate Democrats are pushing a bill to protect birth control. The effort is less about actually passing the legislation (which looks like a long shot) and more about getting the GOP on record opposing birth control (which is remarkably popular). US Senate to hold vote on protecting birth control. In other news, it’s 2024, folks.