Read: The different stakes of male and female birth control

All birth control comes with risks and side effects; that’s one of the reasons so many women choose male birth control. And those who don’t often try multiple contraceptive methods in search of a safe, convenient, and circumstantially appropriate option. The government should not incentivize women to endure these risks over men. Compare tubal ligations (for women) with vasectomies (for men). Both are permanent, surgical contraceptive procedures. Tubal ligation, however, is more invasive and carries with it 20 times the risk of major complications and almost 30 times the risk of postoperative complications. Tubal ligation is also five to 30 times less effective. Nevertheless, tubal ligation is covered without cost-sharing under all health plans, while a quarter of insurers refuse to cover vasectomies; and those that do cover vasectomies typically require men to pay deductibles and co-pays. The mandate thus financially encourages women to endure the much riskier, less effective procedure when a safer, more effective option exists for men. This incentive is especially concerning given that tubal ligations are already three times as popular as vasectomies.

The same argument holds for nonpermanent contraception—the most common of which are condoms for men and various hormonal methods for women. Condoms, of course, are one of the safest birth-control methods on the market, while hormonal birth control can pose serious risks and side effects, including stroke, heart attack, and cancer. For most women, these risks are small. But for certain women, the risks are high enough that hormonal contraception may not be medically recommended; for example, for women over 35 who smoke or have certain health conditions, such as hypertension, breast cancer, or diabetes. Even healthy women can face side effects ranging from debilitating to annoying, such as mood disorders, migraines, libido loss, prolonged bleeding, and weight gain. Just as with surgical procedures, the government should not financially encourage women to endure these burdens when a safer, male option exists.

The mandate’s exclusive focus on women also creates incentives for industry—that is, for pharmaceutical companies to create new methods of female birth control, which health insurers must cover. While new female methods are certainly welcome and important, there is a greater need for new male methods. Rubber condoms have been on the market since the 1840s, and the last innovation in male birth control was the vasectomy, popularized after World War II. New male contraception would help men share contraceptive burdens with their partners, and innovation in this space is not a pipe dream. In fact, testosterone-based male contraception has been tested (with promise) since the 1970s. But for a variety of reasons, industry has been largely unwilling to invest in a hormonal male-birth-control product. An incentive may help cure industry’s disinterest.