Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Top stories
  • Health
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Weird
  • 1-1-2
Image
Doctors and nurses in an operating room
Doctors and nurses in an operating room - Credit: poznyakov / DepositPhotos - License: DepositPhotos
Politics
hymen restoration surgery
child marriage
Ministry of Public Health Welfare and Sports
Ministry for Legal Protection
Hugo de Jonge
Sander Dekker
Wednesday, 19 February 2020 - 09:27
Share this:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • reddit

Dutch gov't to stop hymen restoration surgeries; recognizing child marriages

The Dutch government wants to stop surgeries carried out in the Netherlands to restore the hymen of women and girls because such operations fall under harmful practices that do not fit with the norms and values of Dutch society. The government also plans to put down in law that child marriages conducted abroad will no longer be recognized in the Netherlands, NOS reports.

The professional association of gynecologists already adjusted its position on hymen restoration surgeries. Plastic- and cosmetic surgeons have to do the same by June 1st. If these surgeries are still performed after that, the cabinet will consider a legal ban, Ministers Hugo de Jonge of Public Health and Sander Dekker for Legal Protection wrote in a letter to parliament.

The hymen is a membrane that partially covers the opening of the vagina. The presence of a hymen is traditionally taken to be a mark of virginity, though scientifically this is not the case. A number of religious and other communities expect girls to remain virgins until their wedding night. If they don't, it can lead to gossip about the woman's behavior and social exclusions. The hymen surgery is supposed to ensure that a woman "bleeds" on her wedding night, according to the broadcaster.

There are no precise figures on how many hymen restoration surgeries are carried out in the Netherlands, but according to estimates, thousands of women inquire about the surgery every year and a few hundred women actually get it.

The government is also going to anchor in the law that child marriages that were concluded abroad will no longer be recognized in the Netherlands. Currently such marriages are recognized and registered in the civil register once both partners come of age. The government wants to get rid of that option, though further research into how to achieve that must first be done.

Follow us:

Latest stories

  • Feyenoord put five goals past Vitesse to take top spot in the Eredivisie; AZ put disappointing week behind them with victory
  • Man killed by metal ball at Highland Games
  • Former Dutch football player Mendes da Silva suspected of money laundering, drug trafficking
  • Animal ambulances struggle with volunteer shortage
  • Young Dutch man suddenly dies during vacation in Italy
  • Police chase of wrong-way driver ends in crash on A27

Top stories

  • Fatal accident near Lekkerkerk could be connected to discovery of two bodies in Zoetermeer
  • Dozens of people fight at Ter Apel reception center, one taken to hospital
  • Jury finds Dutch man Aydin C. guilty of extortion in Amanda Todd case
  • Body found during search for missing woman after boat sinks on Lek
  • Tractors drive wrong way on highway to escape police; more burning hay along A28
  • Amsterdam Canal Parade returns after two years of coronavirus restrictions

© 2012-2022, NL Times, All rights reserved.

Footer menu

  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Partner content