Minty AND chewable?

Man, it is so great that science has found cures for all disease and solved all our major problems, cuz I've had to put up with a birth control pill I have to take with a glass of water for far too damn long. If I want to be sexually active and not pregnant, I have to be responsible enough to take a pill every day, and I need to drink water with it to wash it down. What is up with that? Did we lose a war here? I can't believe we call this a free country, with that sort of crap.

But now science has fixed this important issue and come up with a birth control pill I can "take wherever", according to the advertising.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16098766/

See? That's what I'm talking about. A chewable birth control pill that tastes minty. Finally. Now we can call ourselves civilized.

In case you couldn't tell, I was being sarcastic.

Chewable birth control pills? Really? And pardon my Latvian, but why? Are there really lots of women walking around complaining about not getting to use their teeth enough while taking the pill? Did someone think that chewing gum was fun, but you have to throw it out eventually, so what would be awesome is something to chew that disolves instead? Do lots of people love the taste of spearmint but hate gum, and need to get their fix somehow? Is taking a pill currently so difficult that you can only do it in the comfort of your own home?

Oh, and while we're on the topic of the "portability" factor, I read some of the directions, and you have to drink an 8oz glass of water with this chewable pill anyhow, so wouldn't it be easier to just toss one down the hatch with the water instead of chewing followed by a water chaser?

On top of the fact that this sounds like a marketing brainstorm idea gone really wrong, I just can't believe that good money and energy were spent to get it developed. I'm all for science, (ask anyone, I'm always experimenting. Suzuki, I'm gunning for you!) but couldn't we be doing something more, um, productive than developing birth control pills that we can chew and taste of spearmint? Like develop a giant tomato that could end world hunger? Just asking.