CONDOM by Rafidah Abdullah
Taken from The Sun 'Freespace' Column
What is a condom?
A condom is a long, thin bag usually made of rubber that a man wears over his penis during sex to prevent pregnancy or to protect against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Wait… Isn’t it sinful to prevent pregnancy?
This is a tricky one. Let’s first discuss contraception in the context of marriage. Most religions, including Islam, allow contraception for medical and economical reasons as well as to allow for the education and proper upbringing of children – something that is more feasible when their ages are more spaced out. The Roman Catholic Church however has a clear stand opposing any form of artificial contraception.
Now we come to contraception (and, by default, sex) outside of marriage. Contraception has long been blamed for ‘encouraging’ illicit sex. The argument is that by taking away the risk of pregnancy (and/or disease), people are ‘emboldened’ to give in to their loins. It is this kind of thinking that leads to such acts as the pronouncement made by the Selangor Fatwa Council in 2001:
“Penjualan kondom di Negeri Selangor hendaklah dilakukan secara terkawal seperti mendapatkan kebenaran bertulis dari doktor dan dijual di tempat-tempat tertentu serta menentukan had umur pembeli. Janganlah penjualannya dipamerkan secara terbuka di tempat-tempat awam lebih-lebih lagi kotak pembungkus kondom itu dipamerkan gambar yang mengghairahkan. Peraturan ini perlu dibuat supaya tidak berlaku penyalahgunaan.”
Ditto the protests against the Government giving out free needles and condoms to drug users – some people see it as ‘encouraging’ vice.
I can understand where that argument is coming from. Isn’t it better if people just don’t have illicit sex at all?
It’s also better if everyone carpools but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. Let’s be practical here. People are doing it as we speak. They are not going to stop even if condoms are not available, I mean, hellooooo? Abandoned babies? Rise in HIV infections? When people are determined to have sex, regardless of the possible consequences (whether in this life or the next), isn’t it preferable for them to use a condom so as not to add a potential homicide to an already ‘sinful’ situation?
Hmm. But I’ve read somewhere before that condoms don’t protect against all forms of STDs. And that condoms have ‘pores’ through which HIV can pass. Is this true?
First of all, certain STDs such as herpes and human papilloma virus are transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, so obviously skin that is not covered by the condom is vulnerable to infection.
Now, about those ‘pores’. If you wade through published literature on the subject, you will definitely come across studies proclaiming that HIV is howeversomany microns smaller that the ‘pores’ found in condoms, and so the virus can easily pass through. You will also come across many other studies proclaiming the above to be utterly rubbish since condoms are subjected to rigorous testing. Perhaps we in Malaysia have been conditioned to be uncritical of what we read/hear/see in the media, but isn’t it time we look more closely at who makes what claims and what their respective agendas may be before we make up our minds?
In the meantime, we can still rely on good ol’ common sense. In any sexual activity, there is no absolute guarantee against STDs even with condom use. But the risk of getting STDs can be greatly reduced if a condom is used properly. Think of it like using a seat belt – it’s no guarantee that you won’t perish in an accident, but chances of that happening is greatly reduced.
Ok, fine. So how do I use a condom properly?
For a step-by-step guide, go to http://www.rubbertree.org/condom.html, or www.sexetc.org (an excellent website by teens for teens). But even before putting one on, make sure you choose the right condom – it should be made of latex and the packaging should say that the condom is to prevent disease (many novelty condoms are intended for stimulation and offer no protection). Don’t ever use any condom that is damaged, brittle, or past its use-by date (yes, condoms have use-by dates!).
Yes, teacher. Any last words?
Be good. If you can’t be good, be careful.
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