Doctors in Quebec being warned about issuing 'virginity certificates'.

Doctors in Quebec being warned about issuing 'virginity certificates'. HT: NYDN.

A physician's college in Quebec has forbidden its doctors from performing virginity tests and issuing related chastity certificates.

Such exams, during which physicians check whether a woman has had sexual intercourse, are rare, but College des Medecins' CEO Dr. Charles Bernard said that they are still against the profession's code of ethics.

 Issuing a "virginity certificate" or performing a test is a breach in patient confidentiality, Bernard told The Montreal Gazette.

"Imagine a doctor who does a gynecological examination with the sole purpose of (determining if a woman has had sexual intercourse) ... it goes beyond the imagination. And it's degrading to women," he said.

However, Bernard added that physicians should still check in with the patient to see if there was a problem that sparked the request."If you find there is something going wrong, you can recommend a patient to maybe visit a social worker, a psychologist," he told CTV Montreal.They can even refer the patient to the province's child welfare system, he said.

Those that disobey could face disciplinary charges.The issue was raised after two ethicists from the University of Montreal researched virginity testing and found four of such cases, CTV reported.
The tests are sometimes required by families to preserve or save a girl's honor, according to The Gazette.