I today attended an event hosted by Richard Holden MP, and supported by inspirational campaigners Karma Nirvana and the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation, which highlighted the continued use of virginity testing and hymenoplasty in the UK. These practices are not illegal, and campaigners are aiming to change that through an upcoming amendment to the law.
These are dangerous practices, which often cause a great deal of suffering to the victims and are not medically required in any circumstances (as supported by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the Royal College of Midwives, the British Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology (BritSPAG), the British Society of Urogynaecology (BSUG), and The British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (BSGE)).
I am proud to support this campaign to end this harmful so-called medical practice, protecting women and girls all over the UK.
