The
official medical name is 'Hymenoplastia', referring to the surgery to
replace the hymen 'lost'. I have never knew the existence of such a
medical term nor in fact the surgery itself till a few years ago. What
an idea! To replace something that at any moment might get 'lost'
again!!
The movie on here right now called 'Caramel' reminds me of this, in which story is played out and dealt with as a satiric comedy, and I took it as such. It was directed by the Lebanese lady director Labaki, who also plays the centre role. It was about several working class women, one of them is about to get married, but is extremely worried and nervous as she has this huge problem: she is not a virgin, as expected by the future husband, in fact by everybody, the entire society, that she ought to be, must be, on her wedding night.
Their religion, tradition and convention impose on a girl to guard her hymen as her most treasured property; her value, virtue and her life depend on that tiny piece of membrane, not her healthy body, her intelligence, her education, not her character, morality or even her looks come anywhere near it's importance. Her family would be dishonoured and bears the shame for life, and she herself would be condemned to what is equivaIent to a life sentence in a prison. Her girlfriends help her to find a doctor to put back that vitally important, life saving membrane. I will not disclose the story in case you wish to see it. It's definitely worth seeing, very entertaining.
Even in this 21st century, this modern day open and cosmopolitan society, there are still millions who take this very seriously, this honour business. Especially in some Arabic countries and the muslin world. How they expect to find an endless supply of virgins is quite a puzzle, even to the people who demand it surely, considering that nobody asks a man to be a virgin when he gets married. No doubt most of them have stolen' the virginity of a few fair maidens; how then would there be enough virgins for these same men when they decide to get married? If it matters not for them to 'steal' the virginity, why are they so upset when their brides had been the victims of the theft'?
Belgian was one the few offered help in the past, performing this all important life saving surgery to the desperate women, whose entire future depends on the replacement of the lost hymen. There are willing doctors and volunteers too supporting this initiative, and they asked for other countries to follow suit.
I don't understand this. How can that help? For how long? Won't it be likely they might even have the same 'patients' over and over? "Yes Doctor, I know I was here yesterday, but I lost it again last night"!
With the general outcry, at least in Europe, that the pressing problem in the medical section is precisely the deficit of hospitals, clinics, doctors, nurses, and machines, shouldn't they concentrate on saving life first? In the meantime, step up the measure of educating people, the whole society, about the subject matter of honour, so ridiculously based on the presence or absence of hymen instead? That a woman's worth has little to do with that little piece of quite useless membrane?
Current Mood: 
Anxious
Anxious
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