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Contraception is a topic that is almost as taboo in India as sex itself. More often than not, contraception is not even included in conversations around sex and if it is, chances are you will always find it wrapped in flowery language or sugary innuendos. When we fail to discuss topics, we fail to discuss their consequences. It is because of this, that even today, only women are assumed to take the burden of birth control and safe sex, while men often get a free pass from this responsibility.
The movie “ Lipstick under my Burkha '' sheds light on how often women’s consent is not even involved in childbearing. In the movie, Rahim Aslam lives in Saudi Arabia and forces his wife, Shireen Aslam, to have unprotected sex with him every time he visits. Shireen relies on pills because her husband disagrees with the idea of protection and does not care if she has children or not.
When we look at the available options too, we see more options available for women since the burden is assumed to be borne by the woman. Available birth control options for men are as follows:
Condoms - Condoms can work up to 98% of the time and can help protect you from sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs, like herpes and chlamydia. That’s not true of any other method.
Vasectomy - About 15 out of 10,000 couples only get pregnant in the year after a man has the surgery. After a vasectomy, it takes about 3 months for your semen to be sperm-free.
Vas-occlusive injected gel - Various vas-occlusive gels are being researched as contraceptive methods with both reversible and irreversible methods. The potential methods include clips, plugs, valves, polymers, hydrogels, and other devices. Apart from being an alternative for vasectomy,they are also being explored as hormonal contraceptive treatments.
Topical gel - While topical gel fills in the gap for a temporary and reversible gel, its application is quite an impossible task. According to instructions, the gel should be “thoroughly” applied to the back and shoulders. This is almost impossible to do by an individual. In this case, the person might depend on their partner for application which can have adverse effects on them.
Spermicide - Spermicide is a substance that kills sperm. When a person uses it as the sole method of contraception, they need to apply spermicide into the vagina. With typical use, spermicide fails around 21% of the time. However, they can enhance its effectiveness by using it with a condom.
Largely, these are the methods available for men as contraception, contrary to over 10 types of contraception available for women including pills, rings, IUDs etc. Yes, men should take equal responsibility when it comes to contraceptive measures, but is it fair to expect them to do so while we deprive them of the resources to do so?
Having said that, men must utilise the options that they do have. According to an article published on India Today, 94.4% of Indian men don't use condoms, which is the most painless, quickest and cheapest way of contraception available. How can we let the lack of contraceptives be an excuse when we refuse to use the existing ones in place?
Every book has two sides. While male contraception has a long way to go, it is not the only problem. The bigger problem is the ego and the myths that surround male contraception. Our best shot is educating ourselves better and being open to change along with, most importantly, taking equal responsibility when it comes to not only childbirth but also safe sex.
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