The Value of Virginity and the Value of the Law: Accommodating Multiculturalism
De Lora, P.
Journal of Clinical Ethics 26(2): 166-171
2015
ISSN/ISBN: 1046-7890 PMID: 26132067 Document Number: 684427
Hymenoplasty is a minor surgical procedure requested by women who, for cultural or religious reasons, need to remain a virgin until marriage. In this article I assess whether the public healthcare system of a liberal state should provide it as part of a policy of multicultural accommodation. I conclude that, in order to remain loyal to certain ethical ideals linked to the rule of law, liberal states should give access to hymenoplasty only to women for whom premarital virginity is a precondition for their flourishing within their community and who say they are victims of sexual assault.