Male Contraceptive Initiative Champions “Reproductive Autonomy for All” on World Contraception Day

Durham, NC - Male Contraceptive Initiative (MCI), a private non-profit foundation, announced their organization’s updated vision statement, “Reproductive Autonomy for All”, to commemorate World Contraception Day 2020.

Additionally, MCI announced the translation of this vision statement into a new mission statement: “Male Contraceptive Initiative’s mission is to empower men, and couples, to fully contribute to family planning goals by providing them the resources they need for reproductive autonomy.”

With over $3 million invested in non-hormonal male contraceptive product development, MCI seeks to accelerate the time to market for non-hormonal, reversible male contraceptive leads. The organization works to facilitate research and development of male contraceptives for people around the world, as well as to build awareness among researchers, donors, and the general public about the demand for and status of novel non-hormonal, reversible male contraceptive methods. 

Through its funding efforts, the non-profit has championed this mission in manifold ways: investing in promising product development, providing seed funding to aid groups in overcoming specific hurdles, supporting students and young professionals through fellowships and travel grants, and being a consistent advocate for an increased method mix that includes male contraception.

“Our focus is on filling the gap that exists and persists for men when it comes to additional contraceptive methods, but this is really about empowering everyone to choose whether and when to have children, as well as whether and when to use contraception,” said MCI Executive Director Heather Vahdat. “Having a robust method mix with options for men, women, and couples would allow everyone to participate fully in family planning decisions,” she added.

Kevin Shane, Marketing & Communications Director at MCI included, “Our vision is a rallying cry and a challenge: we need to ensure that when it comes to contraception we aren’t focused on ‘his’ or ‘hers’, but rather ‘ours’. It’s critical that couples have the resources and products they need to make the best decision for them throughout their entire reproductive journey. Hopefully future ‘World Contraception Days’ celebrate male and female methods equally.”

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About Male Contraceptive Initiative: Male Contraceptive Initiative works to bring new male contraceptives to market. We accomplish this through direct funding, technical support, research, and advocacy. We believe that couples deserve options and that we offer the biggest potential impact by focusing on male contraceptives. It’s time men are given more opportunities to contribute toward family planning. ​