It's easy to take for granted how much effort people with uteruses put into making sure they don't get pregnant. But, as Above Average's "When Guys Go Off Their Birth Control" video hilariously demonstrates, most cis men spend next to no time or money on contraception.
If it's not completely covered by your health insurance plan (which many methods of contraception aren't because either the plan was initiated before the passage of the Affordable Care Act or because the method, like the NuvaRing, is considered a "brand name"), birth control can cost up to $600/year. Condoms, by contrast, cost between 20 cents and $2.50, which averages around $150/year (not to mention, women with male partners often end up buying the condoms).
In addition, unless you live in Oregon, you need to make a doctor's appointment and get a prescription for birth control, whereas condoms are sold over the counter. And if your method of choice is the pill, you need to remember to stop what you're doing and take it at the same time every day. Not to mention, most hormonal forms of birth control come with side effects, like blood clots, yeast infections, sexual pain, increased or decreased libido, and weight gain.
In short, if you have a penis, you're pretty much off the hook when it comes to making sure your partner doesn't get pregnant, but if you have a vagina, the possibility of unwanted pregnancy affects your wallet, your time, and your anxiety levels going into a sexual encounter.
To make this point in the most unexpected, bro-y way possible, Above Average's video features men playing beer pong in baseball caps as one announces that he has decided to go off his birth control. Everyone chimes in with support, talking about what a drag it is to pay 50 cents at the drug store for a condom and remember to put it on every single time you have sex. #NotFair.
Watch the video below to be reminded why male birth control needs to be developed ASAP to even things out a bit and cis men need to take as much responsibility for pregnancy prevention as they can in the meantime.
Images: Fotolia
