SO WOULD YOU RELY ON YOUR MAN TO TAKE IT?

NO WAY!

Janet StreetPorter says: THERE’S a simple reason men cannot be trusted with birth control.

It’s not because they are liars, forgetful, or duplicitous. Women can be all those things too. The simple reason a contraceptive gel or pill for men will never be commercially viable is because ever since the advent of the Pill in 1961, women have been in charge of their own destiny.

Once you’ve tasted that freedom, why hand it back? The Pill switched power from one sex to another. It marked an historic moment for women, giving us control over our bodies and lives.

Before the Pill was readily available, my generation had to rely on condoms — rely on men who would agree to use them, trust men not to remove them at the last minute. Men had the power in lovemaking and women who didn’t want to run the risk of an unwanted pregnancy had to be on their guard.

I know from bittersweet experience, having had two frightening abortions while still a teenager, that trusting men (or the impulses of a headstrong young girl — me! — who thought she’d be lucky and not get pregnant) is not always the best policy.

Are women prepared to hand the job of birth control over to men? It doesn’t look that way. In a survey by Anglia Ruskin University in 2011, over half the women said they would worry men would forget to take the Pill or use a gel if it was available.

After those two teenage mistakes, I religiously took my contraceptive pills right up to my 40s. I chose not to have children — along the way I cared for a stepson (who sadly died from cancer) — and focused on my career as a TV executive, then a presenter and national newspaper editor. All demanding jobs with long hours.

The Pill gave me the freedom to craft my life and make decisions all by myself. It removed a huge amount of worry and anxiety. Was my decision not to have kids callous and self-centred? I made it clear to the men in my life I was using contraception and didn’t want babies.

The Pill gave me the life I chose and I don’t regret any of it. Men are good at so many things. But I wouldn’t trust them with my fertility.