The all-important membrane
The government is planning on banning a cosmetic surgery called hymenoplasty across the UK.
It attempts to recreate a woman’s hymen, which in some cultures is linked to virginity, and has been described as a form of honour-based abuse. The procedure will be criminalised, as will virginity testing.
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Hymenoplasty is available in clinics and can cost up to £3,000. The procedure recreates a thin membrane known as the hymen which partially covers the entrance to the vagina. It is often done as a way to “repair” a hymen.
Because without that there hymen all you’ve got is a slut.
A woman’s hymen can tear for all sorts of reasons and not just through sexual intercourse, for instance through playing sports or using tampons.
The practice of hymenoplasty is linked to conservative cultures which place a high value on virginity, with the expectation a virgin should bleed after sex on her wedding night. The WHO says virginity testing is practised in at least 20 countries. It involves an intrusive vaginal examination to check if the hymen is intact.
It’s not virginity per se, it’s female virginity. Nobody cares about male virginity – in fact for males it’s shameful to be a virgin. This is because children are women’s fault.
Aleena, whose name we have changed, said she was raped and then, as a teenager, faced years of pressure from her family to get the procedure.
Some “family.”
While I’m not a supporter of this surgery, I am more bothered by the legislation regarding what kind of surgery is and isn’t allowed. I’d rather this decision be left to the individuals involved and their doctors. If they can ban hymenoplasty, then they can also ban abortions and other medical decisions.
Thomas More and Roper in Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons, right? I can’t believe it’s 45 years since I read it as set text in high school English lit.
Because without that there hymen all you’ve got is a slut.
Once again, you have slain me LOL.
And just what is “a slut”?
A woman with the same sexual appetites and desires as a man.
I think there are going to be some bad outcomes here. There are women whose lives will be at risk if they are found not to be virgins when they marry, either from their husband or their own family. There are many women who grow up in the UK and then get sent back to the country their parents or grandparents came from for arranged marriages. There are women who want this procedure to protect themselves. While that is disgusting, offensive, degrading, whatever other word you want to use, if it is a matter of a woman’s safety she should be able to have it.
What Eava said.
I don’t agree with that reasoning. It gives rise to something very similar to extortion: “let people of our culture have this procedure, or we will harm our women.” Granting something because a proverbial or even literal knife is at someone’s throat seems very much like negotiating with terrorists. Same goes for other similarly culturally-linked surgeries like clitorectomies.
In lieu of granting that request I hope there are resources available for the victim of such threats, and the penetration of awareness into that insular community so that the victim knows the resources exist. Should child protection services become aware that such medical tourism is likely for someone, I hope they have powers to take custody of the child, or ban their travel, or something like that. But I’m not sure what powers are needed or how they can be reasonably implemented. A travel ban on say a Yemeni family to Yemen could likely be fought in court, or evaded by going to Yemen indirectly. Custody or monitoring would have to span years and so would probably be draining on child protection resources.
Don’t know, but I sure dislike granting a cruel sexist people their desire to be cruel and sexist just because they will inflict sexist cruelty in another way if not.