TORONTO - The Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW) plans to investigate just how common it is for women to have their hymens repaired.
"I am hoping to do this research, but now it is just in the initial stages," Alia Hogben, executive director of the CCMW, said.
On Thursday, QMI Agency reported a story about Dr. Dimitrois Giannoulias of Toronto, who performs the surgery.
Giannoulias has a private clinic and performs the surgery for women who have arranged marriages in the Middle East, where brides need to be virgins or they can face severe consequences.
When he was contacted again, he refused to talk about how common the surgery was performed.
"It is legal. It is a sensitive subject. I'm not speaking to you about it," he said.
"I first heard about this two years ago in Europe," Hogben said. "Doctors making life easier for their patients because women need to be virgins at the time of marriage, but I don't think that should be a factor here.
"I hear it is popular in B.C., but no one is keeping any stats."
The Ontario ministry of health doesn't track these surgeries, which are not covered by OHIP.
"This is not considered a medical necessity so it is not insured," health ministry spokesman Andrew Morrison said. "We wouldn't track something like that."
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario wouldn't discuss the matter.
"I have no comment on that," college spokesman Jill Hefley said. "It is a legal procedure."
The Canadian Institute for Health Information also doesn't keep statistics on hymen surgery.
No comments:
Post a Comment