Indonesia Official in Hot Water Over ‘Pool Pregnancy’ Claims
Sitti Hikmawatty, an Indonesian child protection commission member, said women could get pregnant by swimming in a pool where a man had ejaculated
An Indonesian official is facing possible sanctions Thursday after she warned women they could get pregnant by swimming in a pool where a man with “strong sperm” had ejaculated.
Sitti Hikmawatty, a child protection commission member, drew controversy and online ridicule after her unscientific comments to a major media outlet last week.
“In a swimming pool, there’s a certain kind of sperm that is very strong,” Hikmawatty told Tribunnews.com during a video interview about teen pregnancies.
“If a person is aroused and ejaculates (in the pool) a pregnancy can happen even though there is no sexual penetration.”
Online, some men pledged to buy condoms before heading to the pool, while a picture of shark-shaped sperm closing in on a female swimmer — parodying a poster for the 1975 movie Jaws — went viral.
Pernyataan salah satu komisioner @KPAI_official ttg kehamilan tanpa penetrasi secara lengkap dan jelas
— BHINNEKATUNGGALIKA (@tjhinfar21) February 23, 2020
Coba disimak menit terakhir sy koq malah lbh tertarik dgn pernyataan wanita di Amerika menjelang mens bisa membunuh dan bebas 🤔🙈
Wah.... bahaya ini 😡#PecatSittiHikmawatty pic.twitter.com/CrzNDrSVXp
EXTRA: Strong sperm can impregnate women in swimming pool, says Indonesian official | TheCable https://t.co/9ghGEvsH60 pic.twitter.com/fFxpZQa14r
— TheCable (@thecableng) February 26, 2020
“Not all men are aroused when they’re swimming with women,” health influencer Blog Dokter told his 1.7 million Twitter followers in a rebuke to Hikmawatty’s comments.
“But even if a man was aroused and ejaculated in a pool the sperm would quickly die in chlorinated water.”
While Hikmawatty quickly retracted her remarks, a three-member government commission has been assembled to decide if the former university professor will be sanctioned.
“This should serve as a lesson for all officials to be extra careful when they make public statements,” the newly formed commission’s chairman Susanto, who goes by one name, told AFP Thursday.