The government of the province of Buenos Aires has become the target of criticism from opponents after expanding a program to distribute free intimate lubricant. Called “Haceme Tuyo” (make me yours), the initiative includes the purchase of one million units of the gel used to facilitate penetration in sexual intercourse.
According to the newspaper El ClarÃn, the first acquisition was carried out in October 2022 and went through at least five instances of the control bodies. The local Ministry of Health, however, made an addendum to the purchase request to increase the quantity of lubricant pots – and that is what ended up calling the attention of some members of the opposition to the government of Peronist Axel Kicillof.
The budget request foresees 500 pesos for each pot, totaling 500 million pesos. Converting the currency, it would be something around R$ 15 per unit in a total purchase of R$ 15 million.
“The use of lubricating gel decreases the chances of the condom breaking during sexual intercourse, preventing sexually transmitted diseases,” argued the ministry, according to excerpts from the request published by several Argentine press vehicles. And the folder detailed: “It is also a tool specifically recommended for the practice of anal sex”.
Another argument of the provincial health authorities is that the distribution of packages with 100 grams of lubricant would be more effective than the two-gram sachets traditionally distributed in previous versions of the program. “After observing that the demand for intimate lubricant gel does not occur uniformly in the population that seeks/requires condoms, it is considered useful to have packages that contain a greater amount of gel”, says the ministry.
Right-wing deputy Diego Santilli, one of Kicillof’s main opponents and candidate for governor of the province, mocked the project on social media. “Kicillof’s new ‘Haceme Tuyo’ program: 500 million to buy jars of intimate gel. Believe it or not, these are the priorities of Kirchnerism.”
Cristian Ritondo, former security minister of Buenos Aires and leader of the conservative acronym PRO, called on the governor and local head of health, Nicolás Kreplak, “to stop this madness”.
In addition to the controversies on Twitter, deputy Alex Campbell, also from PRO, formalized a series of requests for clarification to the government of Buenos Aires. “In a province where doctors earn a pittance, where hospitals are falling apart and where supplies of all kinds are lacking, it is inconceivable that Governor Kicillof’s priority is to allocate 500 million pesos to the purchase of intimate lubricants”, wrote Campbell in the fundamentals of the solicitation. “Sounds like a bad joke.”
The governor did not comment on the networks about the case, but Minister Kreplak used Twitter to defend the decision of his health management. He cited the federal law that provides, among other measures, methods of prevention and prophylaxis against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that include “availability and access to supplies” — without specifically mentioning lubricants.
“We are complying with the law and taking care of our population. The purchase of elements for prevention and sexual health care is not something new. Kreplak.
The minister accused his critics of spreading disinformation and pointed out that previous rulers, such as MaurÃcio Macri and MarÃa Eugenia Vidal, also maintained similar programs, “but in a way that wasted a lot of quantity” — in reference to the two-gram packages.
According to Kreplak, the sachets were distributed along with the condoms. As not all people who took condoms use lubricants, this would be, according to the minister, generating a waste of intimate gel. Still according to him, the 500 pesos paid for each unit are well below the market value of 100-gram packages, estimated at 2,000 pesos (just over R$60).
“What is most disturbing is that there is a State that takes care of its people. And of everyone: majorities and minorities. And to the opposition, which obviously cares so much about the health of Buenos Aires, I invite you to discuss and vote on health projects that were ignored for months in the Legislative”, wrote the minister.
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