The decision was made on Monday 24 January 2022. In the UK, hymen repair and virginity testing will soon have no place in the medical world. An exemplary decision that aims to criminalize this violent, archaic and degrading practice.
Feminist activists have been calling for a ban on ‘virginity repair’ surgery, also known as hymenoplasty, for months. As a reminder, this controversial practice aims to give women a “second virginity” at an exorbitant price of around 3,000 pounds sterling (3,552 euros). A total of 22 clinics, hospitals and private pharmacies offer it in the UK.
And if this practice is so controversial, it’s because it’s considered a form of violence against women and young girls. The operation consists of reconstructing a false hymen by cutting away the scar tissue, with the aim of making the woman bleed during her next intercourse. But what’s even more disturbing is that most patients are forced to undergo hymen repair under pressure from those around them and religious imperatives.
That is why the British government has decided to intervene. An amendment to the Health and Care Bill will soon make any procedure to reconstruct the hymen illegal, with or without consent. This prohibition also applies to virginity tests that consist of examining the external genitalia and the entrance to the vagina to determine the presence or absence of the hymen.
” I was shocked to learn that this horrible practice was taking place. It has no place in our society and I am determined to put an end to it.. ยป
Matt Hancock, UK Secretary of State for Health, quoted by: Le Figaro
At this time, the UK government has not provided any information on how the hymenoplasty ban will be enforced.