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KPAI sets up ethical council after 'swimming can cause pregnancy' blunder
Sitty Hikmawatty, the KPAI commissioner for health, narcotics and addictive substances made a controversial statement during an interview with tribunnews.com, saying that women should be careful about the risk of getting pregnant when swimming in public swimming pools with men.
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Sitty Hikmawatty, the KPAI commissioner for health, narcotics and addictive substances made a controversial statement during an interview with tribunnews.com, saying that women should be careful about the risk of getting pregnant when swimming in public swimming pools with men. (Shutterstock/-)
T
he Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has formed an ethical council following a controversial statement made by one of its commissioners claiming that women could get pregnant from swimming in the same pool as men.
According to a statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, the ethical council consists of three figures, namely former Constitutional Court justice I Dewa Gede Palguna, former National Human Rights Commission commissioner and Press Council chairman Yoseph Adi Prasetyo and former Women and Children’s Empowerment Ministry secretary Ernanti Wahyurini.
They were appointed during a plenary meeting on Monday regarding the controversial statement made by Sitty Hikmawatty, the KPAI commissioner for health, narcotics and addictive substances.
“The ethical council will undertake its duty for one month, but this can be extended if deemed necessary. The commission will report regarding [the establishment of the council] to the President and House of Representatives leaders,” KPAI chairman Susanto wrote in the statement.
Read also: Activists urge authorities 'to protect children' amid requests for early marriage permits
Sitty made her remarks during an interview with tribunnews.com, saying that women should be careful about the risk of getting pregnant when swimming in public swimming pools with men.
“There is an especially strong type of male sperm that may cause […] pregnancy in a swimming pool,” Sitty said in the interview. “Even without penetration, men may become sexually excited [by women in the pool] and ejaculate, therefore causing a pregnancy.”
Her blunder was immediately met with a strong response from the public and medical practitioners.
The commission released a statement that Sitty’s controversial remark represented her own views and did not reflect the KPAI’s institutional values. The commissioner also publicly apologized on Sunday, saying that she had made an inaccurate statement.
