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CHICAGO -- The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates should ban the practice of "virginity testing," by physicians, according to medical students.

Naeha Haridasa, an MD candidate, spoke on behalf of the (MSS), and urged the AMA to consider the physician's role in unwittingly allowing a "painfully discriminatory practice" that threatens female autonomy.

"While we cannot necessarily upend the cultural practices that are not based in science, we can make a concerted effort to educate patients and their families about such harm," she said Saturday at the AMA Special Meeting of its House of Delegates.

The MSS also called for AMA opposition to using state and federal funds for crisis pregnancy centers.

Virginity Testing

According to a meeting addendum, "a 'virginity exam' or 'virginity test' is defined as an exam to assess the hymen for 2 tears and inspect the vaginal walls and introitus for laxity for the purpose of determining whether a female has ever had sexual intercourse."

Virginity tests have been documented in at least 20 countries, including Egypt, Indonesia, and South Africa, according to .

Albert Hsu, MD, a delegate for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, spoke on his own behalf, and supported the resolution. He said virginity testing is both "medically and scientifically inaccurate" and "physically and emotionally intrusive."

Virginity testing can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, loss of self-esteem, and suicidal ideation. The World Health Organization has deemed such testing to be a human rights violation, he noted.

Hsu confirmed that the practice is occurring in the U.S., citing a 2020 survey of U.S. ob/gyns in , which found that about 10% of physician respondents said they had been asked to perform such an exam, and about 3% said they had complied.

The resolution noted that clinical guidance on virginity exams and exam requests are scarce.

Nicole Plenty, MD, a delegate for the Women Physicians Section, noted the potential for harm to reproductive organs, particularly if the virginity test is performed by non-medical personnel. She called for the AMA to "take a stand against" virginity testing whether performed by a clinician or a "novice examiner."

Thomas Eppes, MD, a delegate from Virginia, spoke on his own behalf, and called for caution. He suggested that he liked the ban in theory, but wondered if it "crosses the line into freedom of religion."

He acknowledged that training in the procedure "is clearly something that needs to be done, and done correctly."

Crisis Pregnancy Centers

MSS urged the AMA to oppose government funding of any facility that provides crisis pregnancy services without offering "statistically validated evidence-based medical information and care to pregnant women." The group also proposed amendments to previous AMA policy that aimed to require greater transparency from these centers.

Jada Ohene-Agyei, an alternate delegate from Missouri, spoke on behalf of the MSS as an at-large officer, and characterized pregnancy crisis centers as entities that pose as medical centers in order to dissuade women from seeking abortions. She described how these centers intentionally mislead women into believing they provide comprehensive medical care through false advertising, and by having their non-medical staff wear white lab coats.

Ohene-Agyei stressed that these entities often target vulnerable low-income and minority women.

In their amendments, Ohene-Agyei and the MSS called on the AMA to advocate for the following by crisis pregnancy centers:

• Disclose their political, religious, and financial affiliations
• Discourage the use of marketing, counseling, or coercion to prevent a pregnant women from seeking medical services
• Disclose their "level of compliance" with licensing requirements and federal health information privacy laws

The MSS stressed that interrupting or delaying care to pregnant women seeking abortions increases their risk for late-term or unsafe abortions.

Monique Spillman, MD, a delegate for American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said she supports the goals of the proposed resolution, but sought to amend the policy language to prevent unintended consequences for comprehensive health facilities and social service providers "acting in good faith."

"Facilities that offer crisis pregnancy services, a , are not inherently bad actors," she noted.

Eppes, speaking on his own behalf, requested that the committee refer the amendment back to the board for further study. The term crisis pregnancy center has a range of meanings, from "those who hate abortion to those who love abortion," he said.

Ohene-Agyei countered that most crisis pregnancy centers are and their staff are not medically trained, and requested that the proposed amendment not be referred.

These policy proposals will be decided, and may be discussed and voted on the floor of the House of Delegates, this week.

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