Rant & Raves

Today I read a piece of news on The Star about how women should bring a condom with them all the time.

Women: Men must be encouraged to practise safe sex too

PETALING JAYA: Women’s groups have come out in support of the Health Ministry for promoting the use of condoms to combat HIV, but say practising safe sex is the responsibility of both men and women.

Sisters in Islam programme manager Norhayati Kaprawi said it was her group’s hope that both men and women are encouraged to practise safe sex.

“We hope the ministry allocates a bigger budget for free condoms for those who need it, like drug abusers and their partners.”

Norhayati said the Government should also introduce sex education in schools.

She was responding to the call by Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad for every woman to carry a condom for her own protection.

Women’s Aid Organisation executive director Ivy Josiah said it should be a joint responsibility.

“I am glad that he brought up the issue. However, our view is that we should be educating men to use condoms.

“Many women find it difficult to negotiate with their partners that they should use a condom, especially for women who are in partnerships where there is violence or control.”

In her blog, former Malaysian AIDS Council chairman Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir concurred that men have to play their part too in practising safe sex.

“It is one thing to carry condoms, it’s quite another thing to get the guy to use them. It might be more useful to tell men to carry condoms instead,” she said.

She also said that the police should not assume women who possess condoms were soliciting for sex.

“The issue is that having a condom in one’s handbag is often used as evidence by the police that one is soliciting (which is a crime).

“Thus, unless we’re supposed to all carry letters from Dr Latiff saying “it’s okay.” women carrying condoms can be arrested for soliciting for clients to provide sexual services. In other words, it will be assumed that they are sex workers,” she said.

I apologize if I am stupid, but I am trying to make some sense here. The Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad called for every woman to carry a condom for her own protection, and I am cracking my head to figure out why should every woman carry a condom?

In the case of rape, should the woman just tell the rapist “Hi, mind to use the condom I have prepared? I don’t wish to contract HIV from you. You can have a choice of different favor.” HELLO! This is rape that we are talking about, do you think the girl would have time to tell the guy to use the condom? Or do you think the rapist would bother to use a fucking condom?

Or when the girl is sitting in a bus, and she saw this handsome guy, takes out the condom, give it to him and then they make out in the bus? HELLO! Doesn’t make sense right?

Or how about if the girl decides to go nightclub and hit some one night stand. Well, that, I can see bringing her own condoms make sense (not just one condom, but most probably prepare one box), but normally it would be “your place or mine?” (or some rare occasion, a hotel room), then it is okay to keep condoms at the house instead of bringing it out. Or maybe it was so hot and the urge is so great that they have to settle the score in the toilet. Now I see the great pick-up line from the girls, “Hey, I happen to have a condom in my handbag. Wanna make a go for it?”

Personally, I have no problem with girls keeping a box of condom in their handbag. I won’t even think much about it. But imagine that you are walking out of your office block for lunch and you fall down. Everything inside your handbag, be it wallet, credit cards, lipsticks, and the box of condom, fall off. Some nice guy come to help and just happen to pick up that one box of Durex. Jeez, that’ll be great. Maybe everyone around your office block might think that you are some horny slut.

A final reminder; all condoms have expiry date, so don’t keep it for too long.