NMC Updates MBBS Curriculum to be LGBTQIA+ Friendly
New Delhi: Taking another step towards an LGBTQIA+ friendly MBBS curriculum, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has recently removed the word "unnatural" from the classification of sexual activities like sodomy, buccal coitus, and lesbianism from the subject of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology of the MBBS course.
Previously, there was a distinction as the medical syllabus used to label peno-vaginal sexual intercourse as natural and other sexual activities like peno-anal intercourse (sodomy), buccal coitus, and lesbianism as unnatural. However, introducing a major change, NMC, the Apex Medical Education Regulatory Body, has now decided to bid adieu to such classification in the new medical syllabus.
Such a decision was taken by NMC on the basis of the recommendations made by the Expert Panel that had been constituted on the orders of the Madras High Court to address the issues about the LGBTQIA+ community in the MBBS curriculum.
Constituted by the President of NMC's UG Medical Education Board, Dr. Aruna Vanikar, the expert panel consisted of the following members:
- Dr. Vijendra Kumar, Member-UGMEB
- Dr. Prabha Chandra, Senior Professor, Psychiatry, NIMHANS
- Dr. Surekha Kishore, Executive Director, AIIMS, Gorakhpur
- Dr. Indrajit Khandekar, Professor, Forensic Medicine, MGIMS, Sevagram
The Madras High Court last year had highlighted the need for revamping the existing medical courses' curriculum and making them up to date. The bench had observed that medical courses in India reaffirm queerphobia and discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ communities.
Taking note of the report submitted by a transwoman doctor, the bench had observed that for undergraduate students studying Forensic Medicine as part of the MBBS course, the medical curriculum describes sodomy and lesbianism as sexual offences, and 'transvestism' (cross-dressing) as a 'sexual perversion'.
Upset by the report, the court had pointed out that it reflected how queerphobia was being reaffirmed as legitimate throughout the education of a doctor who might go on to become a psychiatrist or any physician who might be approached by a person from the community. The bench clarified back then that the knowledge about a patient's gender identity and sexuality may be of interest to a doctor, physician, and a mental health professional if it is pertinent in cracking the course of treatment, but the course of treatment cannot be one which aims to "cure" their gender identity or sexuality itself.
At that time, the HC bench had sought a report from NMC clarifying how it would handle the issue in the future by carrying out necessary changes in the MBBS curriculum. Thereafter, in a similar order, the Kerala High Court directed the NMC to review the queerphobia text in MBBS course textbooks.
Taking note of the directions issued by the High Courts, the National Medical Commission (NMC) had issued an advisory for all stakeholders, authors of medical academic textbooks, and institutions.
NMC had noted that various textbooks of medical education, mainly of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology subject and Psychiatry subject, contain derogatory remarks against the LGBTQIA+ Community and homosexuals. NMC had directed all the medical colleges not to teach any nomenclature in such a way that it becomes derogatory, discriminatory, or insulting to the LGBTQIA+ community.
Further, the Apex Medical Body had instructed all the authors of Medical Text Books to "Amend the information about virginity, LGBTQIA+ Community, and homosexuals, etc. in their textbooks according to the available scientific literature, guidelines issued by the Government, and directions passed by the Hon'ble Courts."
Now, taking another step in the same direction of making the MBBS curriculum LGBTQIA+ friendly, the NMC has removed the word "unnatural" from the classification of sexual activities like sodomy, buccal coitus, and lesbianism from the subject of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology of the MBBS course.
While commenting on the matter, Dr. Indrajit Khandekar, Professor, Forensic Medicine, MGIMS, who was a member of the expert panel, told the media, "People have discovered almost limitless ways and means to have sex. Unfortunately, it is often said that sexual activities other than sexual intercourse are wrong and unnatural. Many people may find it strange, wrong, or even disgusting if they do not perform various sexual acts on their own. But there is no exact definition of what constitutes normal or healthy."
"However, as per medical science, any sexual activity including sexual intercourse is harmful, abnormal, unhealthy only when it causes distress, physical harm to you and your partner or transgresses consent and will or is done with minors. Therefore, the decision to remove the word 'unnatural' from the classification of all sexual acts done with consent and will was taken," he added.
Speaking in this regard, Dr. Khandekar referred to the current MBBS textbooks and questioned, "Medical textbooks on Forensic Medicine used to classify Rape as a Natural Offence and Anal sex, Oral sex as Unnatural ones. Any sexual activity done without consent and will is inhuman. Then how these medical textbooks referred to inhuman rape as a natural condition?"
Dr. Khandekar further mentioned, "In the opinions of many, Sex is done for procreation and otherwise it is unnatural. However, no medical or scientific community has ever said that sex is only for procreation. So in my opinion, everything that is being done without consent or will should be termed to be 'unnatural' or inhuman."
He pointed out, "Initially, medical science used to label homosexuality as unnatural and hence had covered it under the disorder category. Now, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), has removed it from the disorder category. Even the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its 10th revision of the International Classification of Diseases. The Supreme Court in Navtej Singh Johar vs Union of India Ministry Of Law on 06.09.2018 has also said that homosexuality is a completely natural condition and it is a natural variant of human sexuality. By citing the US court, the Supreme Court further observed that heterosexual and homosexual behaviour are both normal aspects of human sexuality."
"Therefore, the word 'unnatural' has been removed while classifying various sexual activities from a medical point of view. This change will be implemented from the academic year of 2022," he added.
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