Banning virginity tests
Luxembourg's women's rights groups celebrate a first victory this year: The government approved this month a bill to eliminate the three-day mandatory reflection period for abortions and ban virginity tests and certificates.
Virginity tests and certificates are practices rooted in harmful gender norms and the control of women's bodies. A virginity test typically involves a physical examination to determine whether a woman's hymen is intact – an unreliable and unscientific method of assessing sexual history, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It remained practised, especially in some Muslim communities, often tied to cultural or religious expectations around marriage.
The practice does exist in Luxembourg, but experts say it is extremely rare. Until this year, there was a legal vacuum on the issue. A public petition in 2023 brought attention to the matter and gathered enough signatures to prompt a parliamentary debate, leading to the introduction of the bill to ban the practice.
In several European countries, including Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden, virginity testing is still practised, according to the WHO. France banned the practice in 2021 following a controversial debate, and the United Kingdom followed suit a year later. Other countries, such as the Netherlands and Belgium, have discouraged doctors from performing the tests but have not implemented legal bans.