Yesterday when leaving work, my coworker brought to my attention that there is a female condom on the market with "teeth" in it. When I heard about this, I thought to myself, "now why would any woman volunteer to wear a condom with teeth in it?? That's RIDICULOUS!" So I decided to do a little research and find out for myself exactly what is this "female condom with the teeth" in it.
Back in June of 2010, the story about this invention was posted on numerous websites, and is seen as a miracle solution by some, and for many others, a device that is sort of medieval and a form of enslavement. This form of female condom was created by South African Dr. Sonnet Ehlers after four decades of development. Her initial inspiration came from a rape victim in South Africa that came into the clinic she was on call in after being attacked. The woman stated "she wish she had teeth (down there)" in order to stop the man man from raping her, and it was in this moment where Dr. Ehlers became inspired. Making the decision to help reduce the amount of incidents of rape in the South African community, Dr. Ehlers sold her house and car to launch the project and consulted gynecologists, psychologists and engineers to help in the design and to make sure it was safe.
The condom is called the Rape-axe, and the design itself is made just like a regular female latex condom with the exception of the teeth-like hooks that line the inside. The condom is inserted into the vagina just like a tampon, and it is designed to latch on to the penis during penetration. The hooks latch on even tighter if the penis is moved and can only be removed by a doctor. The hooks do not penetrate the skin, so the penis will not be harmed by the condom. Dr. Ehlers says that the ideal situation to wear this condom is during a" blind date or in an area where she isn't comfortable", and for the condom to be removed while authorities are present in order to catch the rapists.
There are some doctors and psychologists that believe this condom creates a false sense of security for women and is a type of "enslavement" that puts women in the constant fear of possibly being raped. They also believe it is a brutal way to punish men for this type of crime. For those women who have been victims or targets of rape, this condom is a beacon of hope that displays an effort being made to help stop these types of crimes and to serve justice in these situations.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?
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7 Comments
everythingloveandlust
Oh wow… In terms of it being to harsh a punishment that is crazy, women should be given options to protect themselves. I think that harm comes when victims of sexual assault use this as security blanket for prolonged period of time, psychologically you have to be able to do the work and go through all the stages of healing. While I think it is useful tool I’m on the fence about the level of security it actually provides.
jbear
I agree with everythingloveandlust
Andre Day (@AllDayDre5000)
Wow! This should teach those men who want to “take it” from women to play by the rules. No means no.
lighthouse559
How is that considered to harsh a punishment for a man raping a woman. I love the idea of this and am definitely sharing it.
John
I stumbled on an article about this condom, but I didn’t find any info about it younger than 5 years.
I think it’s a great product, which should be sold in every drug store.
Any clues? Looks like it’s discontinued.
Marquita
This is necessary. Rape is wrong and this is the ultimate protection in times of trauma. who cares if doctors think it’s cruel. Rape is cruel!
Lamont
So the guy is stuck inside of the woman untill the police show up? That must be the most awkward small talk in the history of the world