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Male motivation, or the lack of it, has a lot to do with why a pill for men has been so long in coming. Since the 1930s, scientists have known that testosterone supplements can lower sperm production. In the '70s they began tests to make a male pill. "In truth," says Handelsman, "[it] really should have been invented in the '60s." But nothing stalls science faster than questionable demand. The belief was--and often still is--that men are just not interested in controlling their fertility. "Even at the best of times, most men are not great at thinking through the consequences of their actions," opined London's Guardian in a story that took note of the Australian study. By that logic, though, men shouldn't be flying fighter planes either. In fact, recent surveys have shown that significant numbers of men are interested in a contraceptive drug. Two European firms, Organon and Schering AG, are backing trials around the world.
"I think that we are a little unfair to men," says Mirjam Mol, vice president of Organon's reproductive-medicine program. "The men in our study are very motivated." Will women trust men to take their medicine? Says Dr. Regine Sitruk-Ware, an endocrinologist at the Population Council, an international reproductive-research organization: "Really, it's for reasonable people in a stable relationship."
Quentin Brown, 45, a contractor, is participating in a hormone-based trial in Los Angeles. "If you talk to the guys I grew up with, the guys I deal with in business, most of them would look upon this option very favorably," he says. "I don't know why no one asked them." Our society has decided to hold men financially responsible for their fertility, so men should have as many options as possible to act responsibly, he says. For the past year, Brown has had an implant in his right bicep, with no problems and no pregnancies. "I have a son. I have two nephews. I hope that in four or five years this gives them an option. Even with a condom, you never know when someone's going to say, 'I'm pregnant, and it's yours.'" --With reporting by Daniel Williams/ Sydney