Who should be responsible for preventing the 120 million sperm released during a male orgasm from fertilizing a woman's egg? The context for this issue has been a societal debate in terms of the consequences of unplanned pregnancy and whether it is the responsibility of women, men, or both sexes to practice “safe sex.” The introduction of the birth control pill for women in the 1960s created enormous controversy between sexual conservatives and the women who would benefit from the pill, but the responsibility still remained in women's hands. However, as medicine advances and the possibility of a male birth control pill increases, many wonder if the same problems would arise if a male birth control pill actually became available. In order to understand the effects on society of the individual responsibilities of women and men, it is essential to discuss the female contraceptive pill, the male pill, and finally what the stigma means and the potential effects of both contraceptive pills. The pill became available to the public in 1961. During this period, acceptance of women's sexuality was becoming increasingly common; however, critics felt the pill promoted unnecessary female sexual behavior. The fact that a woman could have casual sex without fear of becoming pregnant was a problem for many people in society. Although premarital sex was not completely avoided as it was a few decades before, many still felt that a woman should not have multiple sexual relationships. Women were expected to act or feel sexually only towards a man with whom they were in a serious relationship. That being said, the reasons for accepting female contraceptive use...... middle of paper ......o are changing the way sexual relationships work today. Since this is also a one-time procedure, it would most likely reduce the problems women have about the reliability of their man taking a pill. This option seems to be the biggest step towards equal responsibilities between men and women during sexual relations. Additionally, birth control has had a huge impact on society. Whether people perceive it as negative or positive, it has enabled change and sexual responsibility. Therefore, if eventually men and women have the option to take or be injected with some form of birth control, then who knows what revolutions it might cause. Works Cited Watson, Stephanie and Cristen Conger. “How the male birth control pill will work.” How it works. Np, July 9, 2005. Internet. April 13 2014. .