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Nursing Ethics
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Nurses' and Midwives' Views on Approaches to Hymen Examination

Elif Gürsoy

Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey

Gülsen Vural

Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey, ghalil{at}hacettepe.edu.tr

Premarital sexual relations are unacceptable for women within Turkish society's understanding and perception of honour. If there is any suspicion about virginity, young girls are forced to undergo hymen examination against their will, which frequently results in attemped suicide. The most frequent cause of suicide in young Turkish girls is hymen examination. Nurses and midwives are always involve in this procedure. The purpose of this study was to determine the views of and approaches to hymen examination by nurses and midwives. Of those who participated in this study, 80.2% had been present during a hymen examination, 40.4% indicated that virginity had a special significance in the society owing to social pressures, and 37.5% indicated that they agreed with the view that the idea of virginity puts restraints on a woman's sexual life, whereas sexual activity is a physiological need. They also indicated their opposition to hymen examination imposed without the individual's consent. They agreed that stopping this practice depended more on the social structural changes required than on legal measures.

Key Words: hymen examination • midwives • nurses • Turkey • violence • virginity

Nursing Ethics, Vol. 10, No. 5, 485-496 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/096973300301000505
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