In any case it seems very naive to me to think the problem could be solved in such a way. I certainly don't think it is because of pepper spray that we presumably have less rape incidents in the western world.
You're nearly guaranteed to be impacted to some degree by using pepper spray, BUT it will also be very effective in changing the course of a bad situation - it will provide a chance to get away.
1) The additional sense of security may lead people carrying pepper spray to take more risks, to travel through more dangerous places, etc. (risk compensation, a la bicycle helmets)
2) Few people who carry pepper spray have received appropriate training in its use, and even those who are appropriately trained will take a not-insignificant amount of time to retrieve and effectively deploy it;
3) The person using pepper spray is almost certainly going to fall victim to the pepper spray themselves, hindering their escape from the attacker;
4) The use of pepper spray is likely to anger an attacker, leading to an escalation in violence; even if the attacker has difficulty seeing as a result of the spray, they may still inflict an awful lot of harm on their victim;
5) In the worst case scenario, in fumbling to retrieve and deploy pepper spray, it may be snatched by the attacker and used against the victim.
The question is pepper spray vs. no pepper spray, I think for the rest of your drawbacks it's pretty clear that having a deterrent available is an improvement over not having one.
There's quite a lot of literature about this, and I guess you could ask any cop what they think about it too.
You carry pepper spray, you figure you've got things covered if you happen to be attacked, so you're prepared to accept a slightly increased risk of being attacked as a trade-off for other benefits (e.g. saving money on a taxi home, or time by taking a shortcut down an alleyway)
People caution against it for self defense because it's effectively worthless against someone who's after you with actual lethal intentions who is wielding a gun or knife; several seconds is plenty of time to close a 20ft gap when sprinting and still stab you a half dozen times before the spray really kicks in (and you can still blindly stab at someone), or get off a few rounds before their eyes shut from the pepper spray.
Pepper spray is also not mechanically disabling, which is a concern for self defense in lethal situations. Adrenaline does crazy things and people can continue doing things through immense amounts of pain. Tazers are physically disabling by overriding your muscle control. Batons can breaks bones and can mechanically stop someone from continuing; guns and knives can mechanically stop an attacker. It doesn't matter how much adrenaline you have in you, you can't run, swing a knife, or aim a gun if the required muscle to do so is missing, detached, or not listening to the brain. Pepper spray is simply a pain deterrent, nothing more.
I wonder if a girl who used one successfully could be charged with assault. That would be a sad irony.
It was certainly an idea that got the doctor on the international news, but I'm skeptical that it's going to be effective in practice. (But if there is evidence that people can dig up that it is, I'm open to the idea; I mean that I am skeptical in the true sense of being open to evidence, not as a deceptive way of saying I'll never believe.)
On the purely practical front: you will never get enough woman wear them. The most you could hope for is enough woman wearing them so that they have a deterrent effect on would-be rapists. But if enough people hear about them, and the rapists know to expect them, what's to stop the rapist from simply removing it? I would also expect that if the condom functioned as expected, it would mostly just serve to enrage the rapist and make it more likely for him to escalate the level of violence.
On a more emotional level: the woman still gets raped. What's more, she has to ritually insert an object that only works if she does get raped. I can't imagine that being good for one's psyche.
Which is not to say we shouldn't search for interesting solutions wherever we can find them. But I'm very skeptical that some gadget is going to solve this problem.
Protesting and agitating for social change is probably the most effective route that's available right now. And these women are kind of amazing, though vigilanteism always raises tough questions: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/02/26/meet-the-wo...
I wouldn't want to risk bloodshed from a rapist. Risk of HIV infection is already high, but made much higher with blood around.
Rape-aXe is an idea that's {at least a decade old} EDIT been around since at least 2005. There's a reason why it's not being produced nor sold.
I really don't subscribe to the ideology of "we have to do something, no matter if it even does harm". I think that is one of the worst things humans do on a regular basis. Actionism - is that a word in English?
I don't think eating chocolate helps against cancer, but that doesn't imply that I know what helps against cancer.
I simply don't know enough about India to know where to even start. I suppose improved women's rights, reliable police and stuff like that would help. Perhaps even a media campaign telling people it is not OK to rape will do some good.
This is specifically what I was expected when I added that it shouldn't be decades away from implementation in many parts of the country. Women are getting raped today. They need protection today. Maybe the balance doesn't work out in the West, maybe it doesn't even work out in India, but I doubt the harm is going to be so extensive that it isn't at least worth a try.
Some people seem to be reacting as if we're equipping these women with live grenades or something. It's not. It's pepper spray... and we're talking a rape here. We've got some... "moral currency" to spend here before we're up to an outcome that is as bad as doing nothing.
Also, it seems a very aggressive stance, also with the wording about pigs. I worry that what we will see now in India (maybe it has been like that before) is a lot of acts of arbitrary law, people killing other people just because of a rumor. So in general I don't think pouring more oil into the fire is the best idea.
Don't get me wrong, I have no sympathy for rapists at all. They can be roasted in a bath of pepper spray for all I care.