Doctors call for ban on virginity testing and hymenoplasty

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has urged the government to introduce a ban on virginity testing and hymenoplasty in the UK.

In a policy statement published on 16 August, the college said there is no medical reason why virginity testing, hymenoplasty, or any other procedure under a different name that seeks to reconstruct or repair the hymen would need to be carried out. It said such procedures were harmful as they create and exacerbate social, cultural, and political beliefs that a woman’s value is based on whether or not she is a virgin before marriage.

The college noted that the scale of the …