Anti-Rape Condom?

April 2007








RapeX

The adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” has taken on new meaning.

And with the RapeX anti-rape female condom, that pound is coming out of somebody’s johnson.

RapeX is a female condom that damages a rapist’s penis after penetration with sharp microscopic barbs that hook into the skin.

After the man is incapacitated, this ostensibly gives the woman time to escape. The condom can only be surgically removed (thereby catching the perp redhanded), but supposedly will not cause major damage if removed immediately.

Invented by Sonette Ehlers, a blood technician at the South African Institute for Medical Research, RapeX has been in existence since August 2005 and is to be inserted and worn when a woman is “on a train, working late, going out on a date with someone you don’t know too well, going to clubs, or in any situation that you might not feel comfortable or even just not sure.”

Rape plays a significant role in the high prevalence of HIV among women in South Africa.

South Africa is a country hardest hit by AIDS, a lot of which is fueled by an epidemic of rape: In a 2006 study of 1,370 South African men, nearly 20% revealed that they had raped a woman (and these are the ones ADMITTING it!)

Ehlers, who has been working with rape victims for over 20 years, said that she got the idea from a combination of a young woman raped who said “If only I had teeth down there,” and hearing about a young man admitted to a hospital for getting his penis caught in his trouser zipper and the excruciating pain.

RapeX is currently not available commercially, but the Web site says it should be available soon, and would retail for a little more than a regular condom.

My Personal View: I’m very intrigued. Being in the healthcare field and seeing AIDS on a daily basis, I’ve become a big advocate for AIDS awareness, education, and prevention. With the right marketing and public awareness of this product, I’m betting that rape statistics would decrease dramatically. I feel that if men were really aware that women were actually buying these condoms, and examples of how the condoms work (exactly what they do) exploded onto the scene, it would probably stop would-be rapists dead in their tracks out of sheer fear, and only a handful of men would actually have this dreadful story to tell.

I do wonder though, would the pain be excruciating enough to stop the rapists from hurting or killing their victims? Would the condom really incapacitate the offender long enough for the victim to get away? I read a blog where someone brought up this issue, and I’d been wondering that exact thing.

Another thing I saw mentioned, which sort of scared me, was the fact that some women (or men) seeking revenge, could and might in fact use a device like this to hurt someone who is not trying to rape them. Perhaps even frame someone. I take it there would have to be stiff penalties for this type of crime? Possibly warnings on the label and much, much more.

One person - most probably a man - asked a question directed at the inventor of the condom if she hated men. I thought to myself how crude to feel this much pity for the rapist and at the same time bash a woman for designing something to protect and defend women against HIV, STDs, unwanted pregnancies, and possibly death, all stemming from rape? The real question is, “Do men who rape hate women?” But on the official web site, these questions, as well as many others are answered. For more information, on RapeX, click here.

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