South African Dr. Sonnet Ehlers has designed a new condom, appropriately named Rape-aXe. Also referred to as the "Condom with Teeth," this female condom is made of latex and is inserted like a tampon by a woman who fears that she may be raped. It seems that Dr. Ehlers was inspired to make this device over 40 years ago when, as a medical researcher at a hospital, she tended to a rape victim who said she had wished she had had teeth in her vagina.
If you are wondering how this Condom with Teeth works, it is fairly simple... after inserting his penis into the vagina, the man's penis will be hooked by the stiff internal ribs, which according to Ehlers, are like jagged teeth. Basically, it would be like getting his penis caught in a zipper, only worse. Plus, not only will it hurt, but the only way that Rape-aXe can be removed is via a doctor. Ehlers feels this will help bring a rapist to justice since he can't go undetected.
Ehlers has been distributing these female condoms in various South African cities as this country has one of the highest rates of rape in the world (approximately 1 in 20 males admit to committing rape in the past 12 months). As per Ehlers, "The ideal situation would be for a woman to wear this when she's going out on some kind of blind date... or to an area she's not comfortable with... It hurts [the man], he cannot pee and walk when it's on... 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."
Critics feel the Condom with Teeth is not a long-term solution and makes women vulnerable to more violence from men trapped by this condom. Also, wearing it may constantly remind women of their vulnerability, promoting a victim-like mentality instead of empowering women. There are also concerns over its misuse -- perhaps an angry girlfriend/wife may use it as a sort of revenge on her mate. Overall, it's a cool contraption, and I am all for a woman needing to protect herself. But, I'm not sure if the Rape-aXe will catch on in the US. I would love to hear your thoughts... please post a comment.
Condom with Teeth Photo © 2010 Dawn Stacey
I think this is great – give rapists what they deserve! Th eonly problem is that most women don’t go out with the expectation of being raped. I wonder if this teeth condom is reusable if a women inserts it and doesn’t “need” it. I can see it becoming somewhat expensive if not. Anyway, its a neat idea so kudos to Dr. Ehlers.
Just wondering if a man who is caught by this thing would ever sue the woman for mental or physical cruelty? Would this mar the man’s penis for life? What if men could wear spiked condoms? I just envision lawsuits and “penis lawyers” lined up in courtrooms with PowerPoints of these things.
Since rape is an act more about violence than sex, doesn’t this leave the woman at greater risk to be seriously harmed or killed by an irate man wearing teeth on his penis?