Doctors face moral dilemma over restoring Muslim brides’ virginity

The Times (U.K.) ^ | 05/07/07 | Adam Sage

[Age of Reason]

It all makes sense, biologically. It's just that in less civilized societies (I'll include much of the middle East here), it comes out in the violent, abusive, and oppressive forms we normally associate with other "lower" species.

No it doesn't.

Not that long ago, it was much more common in America than it is today.

And although we didn't wear burkas, most American women did dress much more modestly than today.

The Mideast is nuts for other reasons, which has caused them to go overboard.

Their violent obession with extreme female modesty must spring from a sense of insecurity from most young men's poor economic prospects,

And from the physical decrepitude of old men wealthy enough for a harem.

[Age of Reason]

Because she had pre-marital sex with a guy who she loved and who she thought loved her and who she thought would marry her, that makes it easier for her to have a casual affair while she’s actually married?

I'll put it simply:

A woman who resists temptation before marriage, is better prepared to resist temptation after marriage.

No round-heeled wife for me, thank you.

[ronnie raygun]

JUST MAYBE WE CAN ALL CONTRIBUTE TO A FUND TO HAVE THIS DONE TO ROSIES MOUTH!

[Momaw Nadon]

Islam is regression...to the jungle.

If Islam prevails . . .

[Marysecretary]

What can we expect from a demonic religion passed on as the real thing by a demonic man who made up his moon god and slept with little girls. The whole thing is satanic.

[dayglored]

> Which brings me to the alternate female genetic strategy... Some other women would take a different reproductive strategy: get impregnated by "bad boys" and then find a sucker to marry and raise the "bad boy's" child. This enhances the chances that any sons the woman may have, will impregnate other round-heeled women, who would raise her grandchildren however they can.

Now that is a good point I hadn't considered. As I understand your statement, a woman who is impregnated by a "bad boy", but who manages to raise sons successfully (with help of the "sucker", would see her genes carried to more grandchildren because of the "bad boy" genes. Hmmm. That is quite interesting.

Not being an evolutionary biologist, I can't speak knowledgeably about the representation of that strategy in observable nature, but I must say it makes sense.

(And of course, we're assuming that at lest some "bad boy" characteristics can be transmitted genetically, etc. etc.)

[dayglored]

> Not that long ago, it was much more common in America than it is today. And although we didn't wear burkas, most American women did dress much more modestly than today.

Good point.

> The Mideast is nuts for other reasons, which has caused them to go overboard.

Including being out in the hot desert sun too long...

> Their violent obession with extreme female modesty must spring from a sense of insecurity from most young men's poor economic prospects, and from the physical decrepitude of old men wealthy enough for a harem.

You've undoubtedly hit that nail on the head. Now, your mention of harems brings up another sidelight, which I don't claim to have an answer for, but perhaps you have some insights.

As I have heard it, in some cases, the eunuchs who guarded the harems were castrated (testicles removed) but were otherwise intact, meaning that they could perform intercourse, and presumably (since they still had prostates) could climax. But no offspring, guaranteed. (In some harems all genitalia were removed; I'm not speaking of those here.)

There was a tacit allowance whereby the eunuchs could fool around with the wives, since doing so couldn't produce false heirs to confuse the family lineage. This was allegedly viewed by the ruler of the harem as a mixed blessing -- on the one hand, other guys were boffing his wives; on the other hand, the wives were happier and entertained (important, if one has, say, 100 wives), and after all, the ruler owned the eunuchs and could have them killed if they got too out of line.

I haven't gone looking for citations on that story, but if true, it suggests that chastity was less prized than knowledge of paternity. Or it could be the story isn't true...

[Age of Reason]

Although the majority of societies have accepted polygamy, that does not mean having an unlimited number of wives is a good thing.

I suspect societies that support some men wealthy enough to afford vast harems staffed by eunuchs, are societies that have exceeded the natural balance of power among their members, resulting in great poverty at one end and excess riches at the other end.

Either extreme is likely to produce aberrant behavior—so one should not take the behavior practiced by the desperately poor or the idle rich as representative of normal human behavior.

[dayglored]

> Although the majority of societies have accepted polygamy, that does not mean having an unlimited number of wives is a good thing.

Indeed, I found that one was quite enough.

> I suspect societies that support some men wealthy enough to afford vast harems staffed by eunuchs, are societies that have exceeded the natural balance of power among their members, resulting in great poverty at one end and excess riches at the other end... Either extreme is likely to produce aberrant behavior—so one should not take the behavior practiced by the desperately poor or the idle rich as representative of normal human behavior.

That's an excellent point. Well stated!

[LexBaird]

But he left her when she fell pregnant. The woman had an abortion, which she kept secret from her family until her mother discovered a letter from the clinic. “She fainted and afterwards it was total despair – tears, insults, blows, disappointment and finally a dressing down. “She has asked her gynaecologist to redo my hymen because she says that if not it will ruin my future.”

So, let me get this straight. Euro doctors have an ethical problem with restoring the hymen with plastic surgery to disguise sexual activity, but no ethical problem with performing the abortion to disguise sexual activity?

[I'm ALL Right!]

I have heard that the hymen can be torn by doing many other things outside of sex. (Riding a horse, for instance.) To assume a woman is not a virgin based on that evidence alone is ignorant.