Right, and one of those is that there's virtually no study of male contraceptives, and when there are breakthroughs, they're bogged down by lack of funding. Another example: Currently the morning-after pill, a combo of birth-control pills which you can take up to 72 hours after sex to prevent pregnancy (prevent implantation) is before the FDA, which is considering a switch to over the counter status in the U.S. (This is often confused with RU-486, but they're unrelated.) The conservatives are all over it--no! this'll cause people to have sex without, as one put it at the hearing in December, 'paying the price.' See, kids are a punishment.
The outrageous thing about this particular drug is that it's been prescribed for over 25 years--a quarter century--it's entirely safe, since problems with hormonal birth control pills arise with prolonged use. Yet women have been blocked from getting it by the insane prescription requirement. The pills are most effective if taken in the first 24 hours so it's Saturday night, your birth control failed, and you now have to find a doctor, get an appointment, come up with the money for the appointment, get a prescription and find a pharmacy that has it on hand, and then pay for that ... on your mark, get set, go!
A combined FDA advisory panel voted 23 to 4 to put it over the counter on Dec. 16th, the FDA should come to a decision by Feb. 20th. The brand name is Plan B. If this were widely available, it could cut the need for abortion by 50% by some estimates.
Jenny Brown