A white South African doctor has developed a new condom to fight rape that plagues African women, according to CNN.com.
Dr. Sonnet Ehlers invented the Rape aXe ‘condom with teeth’ 40 years after treating a rape victim who told her, “If only I had teeth down there.”
She said she consulted with “engineers, gynecologists and psychologists” to help make sure the design was safe and would not subject victims to HIV or other STDs.
Dr. Ehlers is distributing the female condoms in the various South African cities where the World Cup soccer games are taking place.
The woman inserts the latex condom like a tampon. Jagged rows of teeth-like hooks line its inside and attach on a man’s penis during penetration, Ehlers said.
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.” Read More…
South Africa has one of the highest rape rates in the world, according to Human Rights Watch. Critics call Dr. Ehlers’ device “medieval” and they say it causes psychological trauma and puts women at risk for more violence from the entrapped rapist.
But Dr. Ehlers counters those claims with words of wisdom:
“Yes, my device may be a medieval, but it’s for a medieval deed that has been around for decades,” she said. “I believe something’s got to be done … and this will make some men rethink before they assault a woman.”
