With a woman seeking compensation from a gynecologist for accidentally damaging her hymen, the issue of hymens became the focus of a discussion among women's groups yesterday.
The recent case of 38-year-old Wang, who is asking Cathay General Hospital (
During a press conference yesterday, feminist activists gathered to dispel myths surrounding the issue of virginity in Taiwan.
According to Lin Lu-hong (林綠紅), the president of Taiwan Women's Link, "The almost saintly status that has been placed on maintaining one's virginity has oppressed women's exploration of their sexuality for a long time."
A significant part of the blame was placed on a society that has largely been dominated by traditional male values. Lin noted that it was Wang's father, and not Wang herself, who seemed to be at the center of the lawsuit.
Taipei Women's Rights secretary-general Chang Ming-yi (張明怡), added that "In a society where marriage introduction agencies have guaranteed the virginity of foreign brides, and operations for replacing the hymen are becoming popularized, women are being commercialized and treated as commodities."
Legislator Huang Shu-ying (
On a practical note, Huang said that while having an unbroken hymen had no clear advantages for either men or women, the obsession for maintaining an intact hymen presented clear health risks for women.
Feminist issues aside, however, Hsieh Ching-hong (
"As a doctor the utmost respect should be paid to the patient's body" Hsieh said, adding that "permission should be gained for touching even a single hair," Hsieh said.
He further emphasized that a doctor should apologize immediately to the patient for any discomfort caused.
This is not the first time this situation has occurred. In 2003, gynecologist Huang Wen-chen (黃文真) also of Cathay General Hospital, was charged for negligence and causing bodily harm when she accidentally ruptured the hymen of Hung Wen-wen (洪文文) during a gynecological examination.
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A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
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