Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Ban hymenoplasty too along with 'virginity tests', says medic body

Ban hymenoplasty too along with 'virginity tests', says medic body

MINISTERS’ pledge to outlaw "virginity tests" will be undermined if the surgical procedure of hymenoplasty- done to "restore virginity"- goes unchecked in the UK, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has warned on Sunday (15), saying "the two practices are inextricably linked".

  


The warning came after it emerged that ministers are committed to criminalising the unscientific “virginity tests” offered by some private clinics which claim to determine a girl’s "virginity" through an invasive examination to see if the hymen is intact.

However, RCOG has claimed that efforts to ban virginity testing should also be accompanied by the laws to ban hymenoplasty, a procedure that some clinics use to “restore virginity" by reconstructing the hymen, reports said.

Dr Edward Morris, the RCOG president, said: “We believe both procedures should be banned in the UK. Neither have any medical benefit and both are harmful practices that create and exacerbate social, cultural and political beliefs that attach a false value to women and girls in relation to their sexual history."

“A ban on virginity testing is undermined without a ban on hymenoplasty, as the two practices are inextricably linked.”

In 2020, a report by Sunday Times has identified 22 private clinics across the UK charging up to £3,000 for the procedure of hymen restoration, which is performed under local anaesthetic. During the course of a year, about 9,000 people in the UK had searched Google for “hymenoplasty” and related terms, reports said.

Hymen restoration or “virginity restoration” is done by constructing a layer of skin at the entrance to the vagina to create the illusion of an unbroken hymen.

Since in some cultures, it is important that a woman is a virgin at the time of her marriage and is expected to bleed on her wedding night, many girls and women are forced into such surgery by their relatives though scientific studies have proven that bleeding is not routinely observed after first vaginal intercourse.

Such procedures often come with claims like “fixing shame” and making “woman a girl again”.

The World Health Organization is also reportedly clear over both the issues, saying the appearance of the hymen is not a reliable indicator of intercourse and virginity testing is a violation of human rights.

Calling hymenoplasty a "form of violence against women and girls", Diana Nammi, executive director at IKWRO Women’s Rights Organisation also emphasised that a ban on virginity testing is essential but on its own will not be enough.

Meanwhile, MP Richard Holden is hoping for cross-party support for two clauses banning virginity testing and hymenoplasty that he has tabled for the health and care bill going through parliament.

“Virginity tests and hymen repair surgeries are being conducted by doctors to check or ‘restore’ the virginity of girls and women, often prior to marriage. These practices are not founded in science, are abusive and perpetuate dangerous myths,” Holden said.

Although the UK government has already committed to banning virginity testing saying it will legislate to make virginity testing illegal at the “earliest opportunity”, hymenoplasty is not mentioned in the agenda, as per reports.

More For You

'Companies with diverse leadership are better positioned for growth'

From LtoR- Lord Karan Bilimoria, Sir Trevor Phillips, Seema Malhotra MP, David Tyler and Nathan Coe

'Companies with diverse leadership are better positioned for growth'

COMPANIES with diverse leadership are better positioned for sustainable growth, improved decision-making, and will connect better with multicultural markets, equalities minister Seema Malhotra has said.

She added that the government will soon launch a public consultation on their approach to mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting.

Keep ReadingShow less
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar with  Wang Yi (right)

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar with Wang Yi (right)

S Jaishankar: ‘Delhi’s global interests shape its regional ties'

INDIA today sees itself as a global power or, at least, a country with global interests, which is why Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has spoken of its equation with Russia, China and notably the Middle East.

India’s external affairs minister was in conversation last Wednesday (5) in London with Bronwen Maddox, director of the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House.

Keep ReadingShow less
'Hundreds of million pounds can be saved by abolishing NHS'

Keir Starmer speaks with medical staff during a visit to the Elective Orthopaedic Centre at Epsom Hospital in Epsom, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

'Hundreds of million pounds can be saved by abolishing NHS'


HUNDREDS of millions of pounds could be saved and patient waiting lists reduced as prime minister Keir Starmer announced plans to abolish NHS England, the body overseeing the state-funded health system.

In a speech delivered in Hull, Starmer explained his decision to streamline the National Health Service's management structure: "I can't, in all honesty, explain to the British people why they should spend their money on two layers of bureaucracy."

Keep ReadingShow less
Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

The lunar eclipse of Friday may not have been as dramatic as the total eclipses seen in other parts of the world

iStock

Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

In the early hours of Friday morning, stargazers across the UK were treated to a partial lunar eclipse, with many enthusiasts rising before dawn to catch a glimpse. The celestial event, which saw the Earth's shadow partially covering the Moon, began at 05:09 GMT. Although only partial for most UK observers, it still presented a spectacular sight, with western parts of the country and regions further afield, such as the Americas and some Pacific islands, witnessing the eclipse.

For some, like Kathleen Maitland, the experience was magical. Stargazing from Pagham Harbour in West Sussex, she described the beauty of watching the Moon gradually darken and transform into a reddish hue, with the sunrise unfolding behind her. The eclipse gave rise to the so-called "blood Moon," a phenomenon that occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow, turning a dusky red as sunlight is refracted through the Earth's atmosphere.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

From L- Reetu Kabra, Maya Sondhi, Shobu Kapoor and Meera Syal during Sangam Foundation's Women's Day celebrations.

Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

HUNDREDS of women gathered for the International Women's Day celebrations of Sangam Foundation last week. Prominent actresses Meera Syal, Shobhu Kapoor and Maya Sondhi have attended the event, a statement said.

The British Asian celebrities shared their experiences of breaking into an industry rife with misogyny and prejudice. The industry veterans also talked about challenges they faced in a male-dominated field.

Keep ReadingShow less