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From Taboos to Textbook
Sex Education in India
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Mumbai: 1989
“Pregnant? How’s that possible?”
“You tell me, doctor saheb!” the patient said, swaying on the stool as his legs dangled with anxious energy. “I properly followed the instructions you gave me last year. You had told me to wear condoms all the time, correct?”
“Correct. Did you regularly change them?”
“Of course. I’m wearing a fresh one right now.”
“Now?”
Another doctor, sitting in the Male OPD, overheard us and chuckled. The patient looked sheepish. He realized he had done something wrong, although he probably did not know what.
“Bhai, you don’t have to wear it literally all the time. Anyway, show me.”
The patient unzipped and dropped his pants. True enough, his penis was tightly covered by the white rubbery film.
“I’ve tied it properly with a string, too.”
“Okay. Hey listen, when I asked you to put it on all the time, I meant during sexual activity. Particularly when you’re penetrating. There’s no need to wear a condom 24/7.”
The chapter continues for about 7,062 more words.