National Medical Commission drops 'unnatural' term from classification of some sexual acts, says expert

The expert panel was constituted by Aruna Vanikar, president of UG Medical Education Board of NMC, on the order of Madras High Court to address the issues about LGBTQIA+ community in the MBBS curriculum

The National Medical Commission has removed the term "unnatural" from the classification of sexual activities like buccal coitus, and lesbianism from 'Forensic Medicine & Toxicology' subject of the MBBS course, a medical expert who was part of the expert panel that made this recommendation said.

The expert panel was constituted by Aruna Vanikar, president of UG Medical Education Board of NMC, on the order of Madras High Court to address the issues about LGBTQIA+ community in the MBBS curriculum. Dr Indrajit Khandekar, Professor of Forensic Medicine, Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram, who was on the panel, said, "Initially, medically science use to label homosexuality as unnatural and, hence, had covered it under disorder category. Now, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), has removed it from the disorder category."

There are court orders which lay down that homosexuality is a completely natural condition and natural variant of human sexuality, and, therefore, a decision was taken by NMC to remove the term "unnatural" from medical classification of sexual acts, Khandekar said.

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