New Delhi: Reversing the changes made in 2022 following a directive from the Madras High Court the National Medical Commission (NMC) has reintroduced lesbianism as a ‘sexual offence’ in its forensic medicine curriculum,. The updated curriculum is controversial and will categorize lesbianism and sodomy under ‘unnatural sexual offences’. The new curriculum includes topics such as the significance of the hymen, virginity, and defloration. These revisions also eliminate the distinction between consensual queer relationships and criminal acts like incest and bestiality, raising concerns about the potential impact on LGBTQ+ rights and medical education.
The revised curriculum now instructs medical students on various sexual perversions, including fetishism, voyeurism, and necrophilia, without differentiating between consensual practices and criminal behaviors. Additionally, the psychiatry module has been updated to remove distinctions between ‘gender identity’ and ‘sexual orientation,’ omitting discussions on gender identity disorders. These changes reflect a broader shift towards incorporating the Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) into forensic education, focusing on legal frameworks for addressing cases of sexual offenses and other crimes.
The NMC has not provided an explanation for this reversal, which follows a previous modification intended to make the curriculum more inclusive of LGBTQ+ perspectives. The 2022 changes had aimed to remove outdated and discriminatory views, such as the two-finger test for virginity, and to address the needs of a diverse patient population with sensitivity. The current revision raises questions about the NMC’s commitment to modernizing medical education in line with human rights and scientific standards.