Reproductive Rights and Male Contraception: Empowering Reproductive Autonomy for All

A straight road stretches into a vast desert landscape under a bright sun and a deep blue sky filled with wispy clouds, with distant mountains on the horizon.

We envision a world in which every child birth is intentional, and occurs only after careful consideration and in line with the family planning desires of those involved.

Our mission is to empower individuals and couples to fully contribute to family planning goals by providing them with the resources they need for reproductive autonomy. With the current landscape of reproductive rights in the world, our work is more critical than ever before. We believe that achieving “Reproductive Autonomy for All” requires innovative solutions and a commitment to developing new methods of male contraception.

Male Birth Control Benefits Everyone!

Reproductive Autonomy for All

MCI’s vision is grounded in the belief that reproductive freedom is a fundamental human right. We envision a world where everyone, regardless of gender, has access to safe, effective, and affordable contraceptive options. Without contraceptive methods for everyone, we will not be able to achieve reproductive autonomy for anyone.

Reproductive autonomy is a shared goal that demands innovative solutions and collaborative efforts. By focusing on the development of male contraceptives, MCI aims to create a more equitable world where everyone has the freedom to make informed reproductive choices.

Growing Interest in Male Contraception: A New Era of Shared Responsibility

Current events in the U.S. highlight the urgent need for a broader array of contraceptive options. Male contraception is a crucial component of reproductive rights and reproductive justice, offering men and couples more control over their reproductive choices.

In the aftermath of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which significantly restricted access to abortion in parts of the United States, interest in male contraception has significantly increased. With reproductive rights being more tightly regulated, more men are expressing a desire to share the responsibility of family planning and prevent unintended pregnancies.

Research conducted pre and post Dobbs decision indicated that an additional 4% of men are now willing to use novel male contraceptive methods “ever,” and nearly half (49%) would consider using them within the first 12 months of availability. This shift highlights how changes in the reproductive rights landscape have influenced men to seek out ways to play a more active role in contraceptive decisions, further underlining the urgency and importance of developing new male contraceptive options.

A line graph compares interest in novel male birth control methods among U.S. men pre- and post-Dobbs decision, showing a 26% increase post-Dobbs within 12 months and a 5% rise in those who would ever try.

Study Results: U.S. Men’s Interest in Novel Male Birth Control Methods (Pre- vs. Post-Dobbs Decision)

The jump in interest in a male contraceptive post-Dobbs decision, along with the increase of vasectomies shows that men are more interested than ever before in participating in family planning. Currently, the only contraceptive options available to men for preventing pregnancy are condoms, vasectomies, and withdrawal, but we believe that men deserve more reliable, safe options in their participation in family planning.

Nuts & Bolts: Existing Methods of Male Contraception

Infographic titled Improving Health with Male Contraception showing benefits like fewer unintended pregnancies, teen pregnancies, pregnancy-related deaths and complications, reduced need for abortions, and fewer infant deaths.

Improving Health with Male Contraception Infographic

The Importance of Male Contraception

Male contraception has the potential to significantly reduce the global rates of unintended pregnancies, which currently stands at approximately 121 million unwanted pregnancies each year. By engaging men more directly in family planning, male contraception could improve overall reproductive health outcomes, reduce the rate of abortions, and contribute to more equitable reproductive health access across socioeconomic, racial, and gender lines.

Male contraception is essential in advancing reproductive rights and achieving reproductive justice by ensuring that all individuals, regardless of gender, have equitable access to contraception that is safe and effective for them. Our work closes the gap in contraception that prevents men from participating in family planning. For far too long, the responsibility of family planning has been disproportionately placed on women, limiting their bodily autonomy and creating an imbalance in reproductive health responsibilities. Introducing effective male contraceptive options empowers men to take an active role in their reproductive health, ensuring that both partners can equally contribute to decisions about if and when to have children. This results in reproductive autonomy for all individuals, helping to create a more balanced, gender-equitable approach to family planning.

Reproductive justice, at its core, promotes the right of individuals to maintain bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and raise children in safe, sustainable communities. Male contraception offers men the ability to control their fertility and avoid unintended parenthood, which can have lasting social and economic consequences. Expanding contraceptive options for men also supports women’s reproductive autonomy by reducing the pressure on female-centric contraceptive methods and enabling couples to make more informed, shared decisions about family planning. This equitable distribution of reproductive responsibility helps to dismantle the gendered expectations around contraception and reinforces the principles of justice and equality in reproductive health.

Current Projects & Research

MCI is dedicated to advancing non-hormonal, reversible male contraception. We support a diverse group of researchers across the development pipeline, from early-stage research to clinical trials.

Our goal is to bring the next generation of male birth control to market and ensure a robust range of contraceptive options for men. We seek to provide methods that meet the unique needs and preferences of men and couples, encouraging early adoption and sustained use of male contraception.

Infographic titled Vasectomy Alternatives & Next Generation Male Contraception describing five reversible, non-hormonal male birth control methods: wearable device, on-demand pill, contraceptive lubricant, male IUD, and biodegradable implant.

Vasectomy Alternatives & Next Generation Male Contraception Infographic

Get Involved by Advocating for Change

It will take a collective effort to ensure that those in the position to help make new male birth control methods a reality see and understand the demand for these products. We invite you to join us in advocating for male contraceptive methods and supporting our vision of Reproductive Autonomy for All. Look through the following sections of opportunities to get involved and lend your voice to the cause:

Talk to Friends & Family

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We create our resources in order to help educate the general public about the importance of male birth control in an effort to empower people to advocate for the cause. A great way of doing so is to reach out to your friends and family to start discussions around male birth control. This will help ensure people are thinking about male contraception and prepare them for the inevitable day when more male methods are available.

MCI'S RESOURCES

Engage with Elected Officials

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There is legislation that governs contraception at the local, state, and national levels. Reach out to your elected representatives and let them know that male birth control is important to you, and request that they support measures that would increase funding for male contraception research and development.

CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

Share Your Perspectives

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We utilize surveys to gather information on a range of topics related to male birth control, and capitalize on the responses for each to create outreach and educational collateral such as blog content, videos, and social media posts. Add your voice to the conversation by visiting this space often and responding to the surveys we add on an ongoing basis!

SURVEYS

Help Create Social Media Content

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We endeavor to engage with as diverse an audience as possible, so we are active on many of the most popular social media platforms. As a small team, we are limited in our ability to create meaningful content that engages with a wide range of audiences on a daily basis. A quick and easy way that you can help us address this is by sharing your creativity, and we encourage people to reach out to us with any ideas you have for content!

SUBMIT YOUR MALE BIRTH CONTROL MEME!

Collaborate with MCI

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As a small nonprofit, we rely on the support of external partners to accomplish our vision of “Reproductive Autonomy for All”. This extends beyond funding to include everything from conducting the scientific research for new male contraceptive targets, engaging with us through internships and fellowships, serving as advisors on various working groups, and more. We know it will take all of us working together to bring new male contraceptives to market, and we encourage you to reach out to us with any ideas you have on how we can engage with you.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Show Your Support

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Our vision for the future is “Reproductive Autonomy for All”. More than a vision statement, though, we believe this is a rallying cry to build a movement around as achieving such a lofty goal benefits all people as well as the planet. You can show your support for the cause along with financial support to MCI by purchasing some of our branded merchandise in our store.

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