Patricia: ‘I am really happy for my daughters that there is now the male pill’
Patricia van Liemt is a radio presenter, writer and mother of Maria (12) and Phaedra (9). Every Friday she writes striking, honest, funny and above all recognizable columns about her life and motherhood.
Hallelujah! Sweet baby cheese. Finally.
I’ve been so patient I almost considered putting it on my resume as a skill. The news that came to me via Instagram last week felt like a pizza delivered right on time on a Sunday night. I’m talking about the pill for men. It is also a very important step in the fight for gender equality and reproductive rights.
What? Yes, reproductive rights. They really exist. This pill offers men the opportunity to play a more active role in preventing unwanted pregnancies, while at the same time reducing our burden and responsibility. We’re tired of carrying that child, so to speak. Well, all gender nonsense aside, I’m really, really happy for my daughters.
Sperm battle
It’s too late for me. I had them all. From the Diane 35 in the ’90s (yes, I had three whole pimples) to the Nuvaring in the zeros. And those men with a condom – far past the date – walk in flattened wallets. No, as a woman you really couldn’t rely on that. It was a true sperm battle. And the worst thing to me was that you gained weight from the pill or got mood changes.
Don’t get me wrong, because the pill is a more than fantastic invention (!) that liberated women and gave a boost to feminism in the 1960s. In fact, it is one of the most important inventions of the twentieth century. It wasn’t all that pleasant before that. For example, the ancient Egyptians used crocodile shit to prevent pregnancy. What?!
Distressing
The way in which women tried to terminate a pregnancy was also distressing. Among other things, they used knitting needles, dropped themselves down the stairs, used turpentine or leeches. Or beat themselves on their stomachs with stones*. So only hearts for the inventors of the female pill.
Party
Oh, and what a joy to be able to say; ‘woman’s pill’. So I think it’s great that there’s now a man pill. Also because having more birth control options improves the overall health of both men and women. So hop forward hop forward.
Now just hope that men don’t mood swings to get…
*Source Jonathan Eig – The Birth of the Pill
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