Male Birth Control Options Being Considered as Withdrawal and Condoms Have 20% and 2% Failure Rate

Male birth control options are being considered more than ever before due to the long-held fact that withdrawal during sexual intercourse have a 20% failure rate, while condoms have a 2% chance of failing.

The inclination towards a universal male contraceptive option increased after some states have started implementing abortion bans following the overturning of a landmark pro-abortion decision decades ago.

In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a decision by the Court in 1973 which deemed the US Constitution have the right to engage in abortion. Since then, it took almost 50 years for the existence of federal abortion protections. This enabled each state to have their own laws that allow the practice of abortion in authorized medical facilities and by qualified medical practitioners.

The decision did not occur overnight. In fact, it was a result of a growing conflict between Americans who are in support and against abortion, which vary per state across the country. So far, 13 states have already imposed active abortion bans, including Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.

Male Birth Control Options

(Photo : Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP via Getty Images)

Since US abortions are becoming prohibited once again, the discussion about developing more contraception options for all is becoming even more significant. Women who can become pregnant have many birth control methods, including oral pills, also called as "morning pills," vaginal rings, and sterilizations.

However, birth contraceptives are limited for males who produce sperm. For years, it has been known that men are only left with two options: withdrawal and condoms. While pregnancy risk is high, neither of the two methods, as well as vasectomies, provide an absolute assurance even when conducted or used properly, according to The Conversation.

Also Read: Denying Women Access to Abortion More Harmful to Their Mental Health than Having Actual Abortion, Study Finds

Accidental Pregnancies

Birth control pills for males are still far from reality. Yet, researchers are already developing one for men, according to WebMD, which highlighted that condoms have only 98% success rate since it can also be damaged. In addition, withdrawal, also referred to as "pulling out," has been the oldest and simplest methods of birth control. Still, it is one of the least effective.

In spite of the widespread usage of birth control methods, accidental pregnancies or unwanted pregnancies have been a persisting phenomenon across the US, where teenagers are also affected.

Prior to the overturning of abortion restrictions, the US teen birth rate is 1,000 births per females aged 15 to 19 years and has been in a decline since 1991. In recent years, teen birth rates had declined from 2018 to 2019 for several racial groups, including Hispanic females, non-Hispanic White females, and non-Hispanic Black females, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

US Abortion Restrictions

In previous years the Republican Party in the US has been opposing abortion and advocating to restrict or ban abortion in their respective states should the Roe vs. Wade decision falls, Reuters reports.

The decades-old case started when a pregnant single woman with a fictional name "Jane Roe" (used in court documents to protect the plaintiff) filed a lawsuit against Henry Wade in Texas. The complaint challenged the existing Texas abortion law at that time.

The previous Texas abortion statute prohibited abortion and only allowed it upon a doctor's order under extraordinary circumstances, such as only to save a pregnant woman's life.