Bill > S01283

This bill prohibits health care practitioners (licensed medical professionals) from performing or supervising "virginity examinations," which are defined as physical gynecological exams intended to determine whether a female has previously engaged in vaginal intercourse by examining her genitalia. The legislation stems from expert consensus that such examinations have no scientific validity, lack medical justification, and can cause significant psychological and physical harm to the individual being examined. Numerous international organizations, including the World Health Organization and United Nations Human Rights Office, have called for eliminating these examinations as they violate human rights. The bill specifically defines a "virginity examination" as any physical inspection of female genitalia purportedly aimed at determining sexual history and applies to all health care practitioners licensed in New York. There is one notable exception: the prohibition does not apply to physical gynecological examinations conducted as part of a forensic medical examination. The bill's intent is to protect individuals from medically unsupported and potentially traumatizing examinations that attempt to assess sexual history through invasive and scientifically unfounded methods.

Health and Social Services

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S1283