condoms=sex toy?

The Madhya Pradesh government is banning Crescendo, a condom brand developed by the government owned Hindustan Latex, which has a vibrating ring at the bottom.

The Madhya Pradesh Public Welfare and Development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya argues: "Condoms are used for family planning. When they are used for pleasure with devices like vibrators, they become sex toys.”

The ruling BJP has often argued against the use of condoms saying that it is against Indian culture and such like. But is this what a Public Welfare and Development minister should be concerned with?

However the health minister in the Union cabinet, Dr Ramadoss, has come out in support of the product. He says: "(Crescendo)has been developed to entice men into using it both for family planning and protection against infections like HIV."

I fail to understand this silly posturing against the use of condoms in India. People are willing to throw any kind of argument – cultural, personal (it does not feel like the real thing) or emotional (don’t you trust me?) when it is clear that condoms are the safest option for family planning or reducing HIV infections.