From The Daily Mail: There is a virtually unlimited need, and an unlimited demand for health care the world over. It is a perpetually scarce and costly resource. So, what better way to spend it than in submission to Islamic mores? Not that the taxpayer-funded virginity "Mulligan" is new to the U.K. This has been going on for a number of years now. But along with the matter of resources, this practice enables the non-engagement of the issues of honor killing and penalties enshrined in Islamic law. Indeed, for all parties involved in the transaction, there is much to be swept under the rug. "NHS pays for Muslim virginity operations," by Tim Stewart and David Pilditch for the Express, July 30 (thanks to Twostellas): You'll want to read this next part sitting down: Dear NHS: I've decided I want my tonsils back. Can you hook that up, too?
And by sheer coincidence all of these "non-cultural" hymenoplasties are being done for women who share the same culture.
There were 116 hymen replacement operations carried out on the NHS between 2005 and 2009. The total for 2009 was 30, up 25 per cent from 24 in 2005.
The health service figures echo a trend reported by private clinics, which are seeing a huge surge in demand for the procedure from Muslim women paying up to £4,000.
One Harley Street clinic said that demand for its half-hour procedure had tripled in recent months.
Doctors say patients are under pressure from future husbands or relatives who insist that they should be virgins on their wedding night.
During the hymenoplasty procedure – viewed by some as invasive and degrading – the hymen is stitched or reconstructed so that it will tear again and bleed on the woman’s wedding night.
In some cases, the vaginal lining can be used to create a false hymen. A blood capsule can then be inserted into the lining to ensure realistic blood flow when the membrane is broken.
Consultant gynaecologist Dr Magdy Hend performs hymenoplasty under local anaesthetic at his Regency Clinic on Harley Street. He charges £1,850 for the half-hour procedure and says that most of his clients are Muslim women.
He said: ‘In the past, we would do one or two hymen reconstruction operations a week. Sometimes now, we get two or three women a day. Demand has tripled.
‘Our Muslim clients worry about having had sex, and their fiance and family knowing that they have been touched before.
‘It is more cultural rather than religious. If the bride is not a virgin and does not bleed on the wedding night, it is a big shame on the family. There have been honour killings in extreme cases.
‘It is simple surgery that takes only half an hour. They can have it done at lunchtime and do not have to give their real names and addresses.’
There have been calls for a ban on NHS surgeons carrying out the operations for women wanting to marry as virgins.
But a Department of Health spokesman insisted that hymen repair operations take place on the NHS only to ensure a patient’s physical or psychological health.
She said: ‘The NHS does not fund hymen repair operations for cultural reasons. All operations on the NHS are on the basis of clinical need.
‘Operations to repair the hymen are only carried out exceptionally to secure physical or psychological health.’
Not that I am against this being paid by public funds. The potential cost to the British taxpayer for an honor killing - investigation, prosecution, incarceration -would be much higher.
Hymen removal is a prophylactic medical procedure to avoid being slaughtered.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".
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Increasing numbers of Muslim brides are having taxpayer-funded ‘virginity repair’ operations before marriage.
Sharia Special in the U.K.: National Health Service picks up the tab for "increasing
number" of hymen restoration surgeries for Muslim women
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