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NHS pays for muslim virginity operations

Cypress

Dragon Mom
NHS pays for muslim virginity operations

An increasing number of Muslim brides are having controversial pre-marriage “virginity repair” operations.

Taxpayers funded 116 hymen replacements on the NHS between 2005 and 2009, official figures revealed.

There were 30 operations in 2009 – up 25 per cent from 24 in 2005, it emerged yesterday.

Private clinics report a huge surge in demand for the procedure, costing between £1,800 and £4,000.
It means the taxpayer has forked out up to £400,000 over the four years to fund the half-hour operation.

Doctors say the trend is driven by young Muslim women under pressure from future husbands or relatives who insist they should be virgins.

Gynaecologist Dr Magdy Hend charges £1,850 for hymenoplasty at his Regency Clinic in Harley Street.
He said: “In the past, we would do one or two a week. Sometimes now we get two or three a day. Demand has tripled.”

Imam Dr Taj Hargey, chairman of the Muslim Educational Centre in Oxford, said it was “disappointing” that Muslim women in this country felt the need to resort “to subterfuge surgery”.

The NHS says it does the operation only for “clinical need”.
source
 

Terrywoodenpic

Oldest Heretic
I would agree this should be a private procedure.
However I think the surgeons are taking the Michael with those charges.

If they were no longer virgins what does a bit of skin change.
 

BassDeist

Slappin' that funky bass!
*sigh*

Sadly they know that if they're not seen to be virgins on their wedding night, they will likely end up divorced and the family will punish them for 'dishonor' or even kill them in extreme cases.

But I seriously don't see why the NHS (which is already short of money) should have to pay for something that is essentially about religion, not medical need.
 

HonestJoe

Well-Known Member
The headline is at best unsupported speculation and at worst an outright lie. The very last line of the report clearly reports that the NHS only performs these operations for clinical need. They article dances between statements referring to the NHS and private clinics in a clearly deliberate attempt to confuse the two.

The figures on cost might as well have been plucked out for thin air and, of course, they multiply the very highest cost by the number of NHS operations to get to the up to £400,000 the NHS will have spent. Presumably those figures are what the private clinics charge rather than what the NHS pays Trusts for such operations, which I'm sure would be very much at the lower end (part of my work involved NHS commissioning).

It is interesting to note that the private doctor is quoted as saying they used to perform one or two of these operations a week which suggests this single clinic is performing more of these operations that the entire NHS.

I suspect the operation the Express is carrying out on it's readers could be described as pretty much the exact opposite of the topic of discussion.
 

tumbleweed41

Resident Liberal Hippie
A spokesman from the Department of Health said the NHS does not carry out any hymen-replacement operations on cultural grounds, and that all procedures are to 'ensure a patient's physical or psychological well-being,' adding 'All operations on the NHS are on the basis of clinical need'.

Q. Why is it considered clinically necessary for a Muslim woman to have her hymen replaced so that she may appear to be a virgin?


A. To prevent the trauma and/or violence she and her family may suffer if she is discovered by her husband and in-laws not to be a virgin on her wedding night.

One young British Muslim girl told the Daily Mail newspaper she was forced to have the hymen-replacement operation out of fear. Her Muslim parents had arranged for her to be married, and she knew that if her husband couldn't show the bloodied sheets to his mother, to prove she was a virgin, great shame would be brought upon her entire family. This may have resulted in her being murdered by a cousin or uncle, in an 'honour-killing,' in order to purge the sin that Muslims believe a family carries when a woman has premarital sexual relations. To this poor, British, Muslim girl, the operation may have meant the difference between life and death.



Moderate Muslim groups and other critics have condemned the rising popularity of the procedure, claiming it's a sign of Western, Islamic fundamentalism, whilst the obvious lack of gender equality (with men being able to sleep with as many women as they desire, while women are expected to retain their virginity) will surely anger British feminists. There have been calls for NHS surgeons to be banned from carrying out the hymenoplasty procedure. However, due to the risk of psychological and physical harm to Muslim women, the Department of Health insists the operations are clinically necessary. Besides which, if the operations are available privately there is little point preventing the NHS providing them.

Source


I think this is more of an implication of barbaric religious and traditional fundamentalism than a black mark on the NHS.

But that's just the opinion of one Yank.;)
 

MissAlice

Well-Known Member
I use to wonder why this barbaric practice was even issued. Now I now why...it's because they think they're able to tell whether or not they're getting diseases from these "virgins".

Very sick. I doubt the majority of muslims are for this practice however. It's a practice commonly used among "Hindus" as well.
 

Gunfingers

Happiness Incarnate
I use to wonder why this barbaric practice was even issued. Now I now why...it's because they think they're able to tell whether or not they're getting diseases from these "virgins".
Interestingly, there was a time when it was believed that you could cure venereal disease by having sex with a virgin.

And the source of possessiveness is more likely to be in wanting to ensure that only your genes are passed on. It's the same reason that when a lion takes over as the alpha in a pride he will kill all the cubs.

Evolution selects for traits that are more likely to be passed on, not necessarily ones that are beneficial to anyone. :(
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
A revolting ode to moral flexibility.

The powers that be hath declared
loose women are marriage impaired.
Once naughty down there,
Imams say that their
virginity can be repaired.
 

MysticSang'ha

Big Squishy Hugger
Premium Member
How about instead of tax payers supporting the protection of women from getting killed or maimed by ignorant and cruel misogynists in their families....that the support goes to eradicating the cruel misogynistic practices of abuse and honor killings?
 

Smoke

Done here.
The NHS says it does the operation only for "clinical need".

I'd like to know when there's ever a clinical need for hymenoplasty.

Why not also remove women's tongues to make sure they don't get beaten for talking back to their husbands?
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
How about instead of tax payers supporting the protection of women from getting killed or maimed by ignorant and cruel misogynists in their families....that the support goes to eradicating the cruel misogynistic practices of abuse and honor killings?
You're actually suggesting they address the real problem rather than enabling & exacerbating it?
Women folk are so naive about public policy. You never should've been given the vote....hell,
....even men aren't any good at voting or leading.
 

Smoke

Done here.
[/I]Q. Why is it considered clinically necessary for a Muslim woman to have her hymen replaced so that she may appear to be a virgin?


A. To prevent the trauma and/or violence she and her family may suffer if she is discovered by her husband and in-laws not to be a virgin on her wedding night.

One young British Muslim girl told the Daily Mail newspaper she was forced to have the hymen-replacement operation out of fear. Her Muslim parents had arranged for her to be married, and she knew that if her husband couldn't show the bloodied sheets to his mother, to prove she was a virgin, great shame would be brought upon her entire family. This may have resulted in her being murdered by a cousin or uncle, in an 'honour-killing,' in order to purge the sin that Muslims believe a family carries when a woman has premarital sexual relations. To this poor, British, Muslim girl, the operation may have meant the difference between life and death.



Moderate Muslim groups and other critics have condemned the rising popularity of the procedure, claiming it's a sign of Western, Islamic fundamentalism, whilst the obvious lack of gender equality (with men being able to sleep with as many women as they desire, while women are expected to retain their virginity) will surely anger British feminists. There have been calls for NHS surgeons to be banned from carrying out the hymenoplasty procedure. However, due to the risk of psychological and physical harm to Muslim women, the Department of Health insists the operations are clinically necessary. Besides which, if the operations are available privately there is little point preventing the NHS providing them.

Source


I think this is more of an implication of barbaric religious and traditional fundamentalism than a black mark on the NHS.

But that's just the opinion of one Yank.;)

I think it's both.

The punishment for honor killing should be something really brutal and horrific, something that would shock the **** out of even the most ignorant barbarian. Then maybe these idiots would realize it wasn't such a good idea.
 

MysticSang'ha

Big Squishy Hugger
Premium Member
You're actually suggesting they address the real problem rather than enabling & exacerbating it?
Women folk are so naive about public policy. You never should've been given the vote....hell,
....even men aren't any good at voting or leading.

You're so weird, it's positively adorable. LOL

:foryou:
 

MysticSang'ha

Big Squishy Hugger
Premium Member
I think it's both.

The punishment for honor killing should be something really brutal and horrific, something that would shock the **** out of even the most ignorant barbarian. Then maybe these idiots would realize it wasn't such a good idea.

Please please please please let me have five minutes with one of them. I have a few ideas that would probably revoke my Buddhist label for kindness and non-violence.

I'll gladly take on that karma. :p
 

Smoke

Done here.
Please please please please let me have five minutes with one of them. I have a few ideas that would probably revoke my Buddhist label for kindness and non-violence.

I'll gladly take on that karma. :p

I would too. And they could probably market it as a game show in Japan. :)
 

tumbleweed41

Resident Liberal Hippie
In the US and elsewhere, I would like to see "Honor Killings" and "Honor Beatings" to be made punishable under criminal penalty-enhancement laws, much like hate crimes.
 

MysticSang'ha

Big Squishy Hugger
Premium Member
In the US and elsewhere, I would like to see "Honor Killings" and "Honor Beatings" to be made punishable under criminal penalty-enhancement laws, much like hate crimes.

They ARE hate crimes. Hate crimes against sexually free women. And they should be prosecuted as such.
 
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