Senate Bill S931A

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Prohibits virginity examinations

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Women's Issues Committee


  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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Bill Amendments

co-Sponsors

2023-S931 - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A128
Current Committee:
Senate Women's Issues
Law Section:
Public Health Law
Laws Affected:
Add §267-b, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2019-2020: S6879, A8742
2021-2022: S104, A5517

2023-S931 - Summary

Prohibits health care practitioners from performing a virginity examination or supervising the performance of a virginity examination on a patient; defines "virginity examination".

2023-S931 - Sponsor Memo

2023-S931 - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    931
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 9, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. PERSAUD -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Women's Issues
 
 AN ACT to amend the  public  health  law,  in  relation  to  prohibiting
   virginity examinations
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding  a  new  section
 267-a to read as follows:
   §  267-A.  PROHIBITION  OF  VIRGINITY  EXAMINATIONS.   NO PERSON SHALL
 PERFORM A PHYSICAL EXAMINATION PURPORTING TO DETERMINE WHETHER AN  INDI-
 VIDUAL HAS PREVIOUSLY HAD VAGINAL INTERCOURSE.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
 it shall have become a law.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01726-01-3



              

co-Sponsors

2023-S931A (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A128
Current Committee:
Senate Women's Issues
Law Section:
Public Health Law
Laws Affected:
Add §267-b, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2019-2020: S6879, A8742
2021-2022: S104, A5517

2023-S931A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Prohibits health care practitioners from performing a virginity examination or supervising the performance of a virginity examination on a patient; defines "virginity examination".

2023-S931A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S931A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  931--A
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              January 9, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. PERSAUD, FERNANDEZ, HOYLMAN-SIGAL, JACKSON, KRUEGER
   -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to
   the Committee on Women's Issues -- recommitted  to  the  Committee  on
   Women's  Issues  in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee
   discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
   to said committee
 
 AN ACT to amend the  public  health  law,  in  relation  to  prohibiting
   virginity examinations
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Legislative Intent: Virginity examinations are  gynecologi-
 cal  examinations of the female genitalia purported to establish whether
 a female has had vaginal intercourse by correlating the absence  of  the
 hymen  or vaginal wall laxity with sexual activity. Reproductive experts
 contend that there is no scientific merit  or  clinical  indication  for
 this  type  of examination, as these characteristics do not definitively
 prove that a female has had intercourse. Experts also  note  that  there
 are  significant  adverse  psychological  and  physical consequences for
 individuals who have been subjected to these tests.  Numerous  organiza-
 tions,  including  the  World  Health Organization, United Nations Human
 Rights Office, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists,  and
 International  Society  for  Sexual  Medicine have called for the elimi-
 nation of virginity examinations as they are not medically indicated  or
 valid procedures, and their performance violates the human rights of the
 individual  subject  to the test. It is the intent of the legislature to
 recognize that gynecological examinations purported to determine whether
 a female has had vaginal intercourse have no scientific merit,  are  not
 medically indicated, and cause psychological and physical trauma for the
 recipient;  and as such, health care practitioners licensed by and prac-
 ticing in the state of New York should be prohibited from conducting  or
 supervising these examinations.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD01726-03-4
              

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