Finally, a way for women to “gain hold” in the fight against rape. South African Dr. Sonnet Ehlers has developed a female condom with “teeth” on the inside that attach to a man’s penis during penetration. Here’s the process:

The woman inserts the latex condom like a tampon…once it lodges, only a doctor can remove it — a procedure Ehlers hopes will be done with authorities on standby to make an arrest. “It hurts, he cannot pee and walk when it’s on,” she said. “If he tries to remove it, it will clasp even tighter… however, it doesn’t break the skin, and there’s no danger of fluid exposure.”

What do the critics have to say about it? It will “make women vulnerable to more violence from men trapped by the device.” It’s a “form of enslavement,” reminding women of their “vulnerability.”

Victoria Kajja, a fellow for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Uganda says:

“It not only presents the victim with a false sense of security, but psychological trauma,” she added. “It also does not help with the psychological problems that manifest after assaults.”

Yeah, ok, I can agree with that. I obviously believe that the basic acceptance of rape in many African countries (and really, all over the world) needs to be altered dramatically. But just because I want that to be so doesn’t mean it’s gonna happen any time soon. And while we continue to work to shift accepted norms that are barbaric, violent, and cause life-long psychological trauma, giving women another defensive strategy is not enslavement in my book. When it’s life or death, I say give women a way to tear into a penis the way it tore into her.

Critics who have accused Dr. Ehlers of developing a medieval device to fight rape? Umm, castration for committing rape may be medieval. A condom that sticks it to a dick is not.

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