"It's about fairness," Perspectives from MCI YAB member Jiachen Lin

Jiachen (far right) 

What's your educational/professional background and experience? 
I come from a background that’s pretty different from what you might expect in the field of male contraception. I was born and raised in China and spent two years studying at a university there before transferring to the University of British Columbia in Canada. I pursued a degree in Natural Resource Conservation, which has resulted in two undergraduate degrees, both centred on the forest and environment. I graduated this May, and while my academic background might seem unrelated to reproductive health, it has deeply influenced how I see the world. In conservation studies, we often talk about the importance of balance between nature and human needs, between long-term sustainability and immediate pressures. I think that same mindset applies to reproductive health. Contraception, at its core, is about balancing autonomy, responsibility, and health for everyone. That’s a perspective I bring with me from my conservation work into my passion for reproductive justice.

What brought you to the YAB? 
Honestly, it all started with a casual conversation I had with a close friend. She was trying to choose a birth control method and sighed, "Why do all the options have to be for women?" That one sentence really got me thinking. Why hadn’t I ever heard about male contraceptive options before? The idea wouldn’t leave my mind, so a few days later I found myself Googling "male contraception", and that’s how I stumbled upon MCI. Their website had so much information about non-hormonal male contraceptives, and that’s when I discovered the YAB. I emailed Kathryn, and everything just flowed naturally from there!

Youth Advisory Board (YAB)

Why are you interested in male contraception?  
Why am I so passionate about this field? Because, frankly, why wouldn’t I be? For so long, contraception has been seen as a woman’s responsibility. Growing up, the messages I received, both in school and in the broader culture, reinforced that idea. Many of my friends have shared their struggles with hormonal contraceptives: the side effects, the uncertainty, the burden of responsibility. It’s heartbreaking to hear these stories and realize that we’ve normalized this imbalance. 

But the truth is, research shows that many men are willing to take a more active role in contraception. They just need better options.

I believe that expanding male contraceptive choices is essential for achieving true reproductive autonomy for everyone. It’s about fairness, about shared responsibility, and about creating a world where no one has to bear the full burden of contraception alone.

How does the field of male contraception fit into your academic and professional interests/future work? 
Right now, I’m in a bit of a transitional phase. I just graduated and am deciding to take a gap year to reflect on my path. I’m considering applying for graduate studies in public health. As someone from East Asia, I’m particularly interested in how male contraception is perceived and accepted in mainland China. In my experience, the topic is still under-discussed there, often shrouded in stigma or dismissed as unimportant. If I pursue graduate studies, I’d love to focus my research on exploring attitudes toward male contraception in China and other East Asian contexts. What are the cultural barriers? What kinds of educational and advocacy efforts might resonate? How can we create space for conversations that challenge the idea that contraception is only a woman’s job? At the same time, I’m also exploring emergency medical work, testing the waters to see if I might want to pursue a clinical path, like medical school. While these fields might seem different, I think they share a common thread: both involve helping people, challenging inequities, and contributing to systems that can improve lives.

What was it like to attend and volunteer at the National Contraception Conference? 
One of the highlights of my involvement with MCI so far was having the chance to attend and volunteer at the National Contraception Conference. It was such an eye-opening experience for me! I felt honored to witness cutting-edge research, hear from brilliant minds in the field, and see clinical-stage male contraceptive products that could transform lives. I even got to watch a powerful documentary called “It's Different for Girls” by Billie, which made me feel connected to a global movement that’s fighting for fairness and equity in reproductive health. Male contraception is still such a small niche, and yet, during the conference, I was surrounded by people who are passionate about making it a reality. The presentations often moved me deeply, I could see the years of hard work and dedication that had gone into each project. It reminded me that while this field may be small, its impact has the potential to be enormous.

​I’m incredibly thankful to MCI, the YAB, and everyone who made the conference possible! It showed me that change is happening, and I believe male contraception is only going to become more central to conversations about reproductive health in the coming years!

This guest blog was written by Jiachen Lin, MCI YAB member and volunteer.