If you could have safe, effective, long-term birth control that you didn’t have to think about, would you jump at the chance? That’s what’s being proposed by a company called MicroCHIPS of Lexington Massachusetts — in the form of a chip to be implanted under the skin. The chip, just 20 x 20 x 7 millimetres, is designed to last up to 16 years — about half of a woman’s reproductive lifespan — delivering a daily dose of 30mg of levonorgestrel, used in several hormonal contraceptives and emergency contraceptives. In the event a couple wants to conceive, the woman can use a remote control to turn the chip off, and then back on again when she needs to. The implications of the technology go beyond contraceptives. Inside the chip is a reservoir array which contains and protects the hormone. In these reservoirs, however, any drug could be placed, to be released on demand, or according to a pre-programmed schedule.