Via Cosmopolitan, hymenoplasty surgery and virginity testing are finally set to be banned in the UK following years of campaigning from activist groups.
Both practices have been branded as ‘harmful’ and “a violation of human rights by the UN and WHO.
Sadly, not everyone is in support of the decision.
Some doctors have expressed concerns that if the new clause to the Health and Care Bill, which would see any medical professionals who perform either facing jail time, does go ahead, that young women will only be driven underground and receive inadequate medical care.
Others have branded it a “quick-fix” to the deeper problem that some communities still put such emphasis on the concept of virginity, despite the fact that the hymen can be broken in numerous ways outside of having sex, including by using tampons or through exercise/sports. As well, there have been researches that showed that at least three in every 100 women are born without one.
A report, published by The Sunday Times earlier this year revealed that at least 22 private clinics in the UK were charging up to £3,000 for the surgery.
North West Durham Conservative MP, Richard Holden, who is credited with introducing the clause to Parliament, said he decided to push the change in law forward after a BBC investigation found multiple (often private) clinics in the UK offering virginity testing for £150 to £300.
That said, it’s still difficult to pin down the exact number of women undergoing virginity checks or a hymen restoration operation each year, as the facilities aren’t required to provide any data on the matter.
But one American study in 2017 found that 16% of obstetricians and gynaecologists confirmed they’d been asked to check that a young woman’s hymen was still intact (with the inaccurate belief that if it wasn’t, it would indicate she’s no longer a virgin), with some then begging their doctors to surgically construct a new one.
One anonymous woman told Cosmopolitan during their investigation that she was forced to have her hymen checked by her parents ahead of an arranged marriage.
“I told my parents it was insulting, but if I didn’t do it, I would be kicked out. I had no money and nowhere to go,” she said. “I felt like I had been assaulted.“
France has already put an end to virginity testing, introducing a fine of £14,000 for any medical professional found to be breaking the rules.
