RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) A Saudi doctor has gone on-air to dismiss claims made by a well-known cleric who caused a stir when he said medical studies show driving affects a woman's ovaries.
In comments aired over the weekend by the privately owned Rotana channel, gynecologist Mohammed Baknah says scientific studies have not proven that driving has adverse effects on women's reproductive health.
He was addressing remarks by Sheik Saleh Saad el-Leheidan who said that women who drive suffer from having the pelvis forced upward. His remarks were published Saturday in an interview with the website el-Sabq,
Hard-line clerics have opposed a campaign scheduled for October 26 calling on women to drive in defiance of a ban in the ultraconservative kingdom.
Another cleric this month called on people to harass women who drive.
