Rapper's Virginity Exam Rule Doesn't Impress Legislators

State bill would outlaw the practice after T.I. said he takes his daughter to the doctor every year
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 1, 2019 10:25 AM CST
Rapper's Revelation Inspires Move to Outlaw Virginity Tests
The backlash to comments by T.I. has led to proposed legislation in New York.   (AP Photo/John Amis)

New York lawmakers have responded to T.I.'s claim that he goes to a gynecologist with his daughter every year for her virginity check. Identical bills in the Assembly and Senate would make it illegal for a doctor to perform such an exam, CBS reports. All medical exams that included a woman's hymen would not be prohibited, but conducting one "to ascertain whether a woman is a virgin" would be. Virginity is not a medical term, Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages wrote. "Rather, the concept of 'virginity' is a social, cultural and religious construct." If the woman has been raped, she said, such an exam can cause fresh pain and trauma.

The UN and World Health Organization are among the bodies that have called for a global ban on virginity tests, Solages said. WHO noted in its report last year that checking a woman's hymen "cannot prove whether they have had sexual intercourse, or are sexually active or not." Under the New York legislation, violating the law could result in criminal charges brought against medical practitioners. (T.I.'s daughter was embarrassed.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X