January
18
/ 2021
Since medieval times, many Muslim communities have regarded the hymen, the tiny piece of skin known as the vaginal membrane, as proof of virginity and a woman’s moral virtue. Even today in the United Kingdom, girls and young women are being charged between £150 and £300 (about $200 to $400) for “certification of their purity,” and up to £3,000 ($4074) for “hymen reconstruction operations.” The Origins of Hymen Testing In the Middle Ages female virginity was the only sure fire way to make sure a child who would inherit property from his father was the legitimate heir from a virgin bride. The intact hymen, or virgo intacta, was also the only way to make sure kings didn’t catch nasty sexually
