A letter to Tamara Kreinin of the The David & Lucile Packard Foundation

Some time ago, The Parsemus Foundation made a request on their mailing list of their subscribers to write a letter. The David & Lucile Packard Foundation had generously granted $50,000 to The Parsemus Foundation to help them with the development of Vasalgel.

They had asked

Help us thank Packard Foundation!

We got the check! It’s hard to believe — Vasalgel’s first foundation grant. Packard Foundation is the first foundation (other than little Parsemus Foundation, which has been carrying the weight for almost 5 years) to stand up and say men deserve reproductive rights too — and to put their money where their mouth is, to the tune of $50,000! It’ll help keep us afloat through manufacturing and testing — and we think if they like what they see in terms of how we handle this grant, they might get behind Vasalgel in a bigger way later.

But our biggest fan at Packard Foundation (he says Vasalgel is the contraceptive of the future) is leaving the foundation in the next couple of months. We’re nervous about how much the rest of the team really knows about Vasalgel. Will you help let the rest of the team know how important Vasalgel is to all of its supporters?

We had an idea for something a little warmer and fuzzier than email. How about going all old-school with it — actually getting out paper thank-you cards? Think what an impression that would make!

If you’re reading this at work, obviously that might be kind of hard, but maybe you can print something out (here’s a site that seems fairly non-annoying) or pick something up at Trader Joe’s. If you’re home, maybe you have a stash of thank-you cards handy. We asked, and our fan at Packard Foundation said it’s okay to send them (they won’t get annoyed), and to send them to the department head:

Tamara Kreinin
Director, Population and Reproductive Health
The David & Lucile Packard Foundation
343 Second Street
Los Altos, CA 94022

If you write, you can let them know why Vasalgel is important to you (and optional, the short version of any birth control horror stories you’ve had — although maybe not too graphic!). We’re kind of curious — out of 20,000+ people on the mailing list, will they get 10 cards, or a hundred, or a thousand? Either way, it should make an impression.

I have waited a while so that they may be the first to read the letter. This is what I have sent.

November 21st, 2014
Tamara Kreinin
Director, Population and Reproductive Health
The David & Lucile Packard Foundation
343 Second Street
Los Altos, CA 94022

Dear Ms. Kreinin,

I have recently learned of the assistance that the David & Lucile Packard Foundation has given the Parsemus Foundation to develop, and bring Vasalgel to the market.

I wish to express appreciation for your foundation’s assistance in this matter. Yours is a significant act that may help the common man to more effectively deal with one of the most significant and fundamental issues that affect us: lack of fertility control. Just as “the pill” changed the world by offering women choice and control over their fertility so, too can contributing to men’s choice to control our own. For the first time in the history, humanity may be in a position to ensure that all children are chosen, and by both parents.

This is an incredible boon to all, and at every level.

I value having control of my life and, to avoid the penalties of an unchosen pregnancy, have cautiously eschewed long-term relationships with women. I wish that I would have had the option to discreetly control my fertility using a method that is practically tamper-proof throughout my life. I could have engaged more fully in my relationships, free of concern for the consequences of creating an unplanned and unprepared-for child. I would like our young men and women to enjoy this option.

You and yours at the foundation are surely aware of the legal and cultural circumstances that make it difficult for men to enjoy peace of mind and a sense of security when faced with issues of paternity fraud, or those of cultural and legal biases of the family court system. The best way to avoid such issues is to choose carefully and ensure that there is no room for accidents. Vasalgel’s purpose is fertility control; its true promise is genuine reproductive equality and autonomy for all.

Vasalgel can change the world, for men, women and the children we choose to have.

Again, I offer my sincere appreciation and heartfelt thanks for using your power, influence, and funding to help The Parsemus Foundation bring Vasalgel to the world. You have played a part in making it a better one, and in a meaningful way.

Francis Roy
Québec, Canada

Will you write one too?

Thank you if you do.