What are the ethics of hymenoplasty? In this commentary, I argue that doctors must take seriously the risks involved in not performing the procedure when stigmatization and credible threats of violence are at stake. However, the ultimate source of harm in this example is not the absence of a girl’s hymen, but rather an ugly suite of discriminatory attitudes and patriarchal social conventions. T...

We live in a culture that, for many historical and economic reasons, pathologizes many of the normal processes and responses of human growth and development— especially for women. The cultural reasons for this are deeply embedded in a 6,000 year-old process of systematic overrun of indigenous peoples by a culture based on exploitative, empire-building patriarchal values. Daniel Quinn, in his aw...