“An unmarried woman’s hymen must be guarded at all costs”: this phrase represents unanimity between family and community, who often gatekeep a woman’s symbols of virginity until consumption by her husband. The slightest whisper about vaginal penetration before marriage, even if it is merely hearsay, is considered the end of the woman’s ‘purity’, marriageability and dignity in our society. When this taboo is found ingrained in modern medical institutions that ought to be regulated by the rule of law, women lose all space to assert autonomy over their bodies and are left feeling reduced to their genitals.

Divya (name changed), a 32-year-old unmarried woman whom I know, recently experienced such a crisis in one of Hyderabad’s top medical diagnostic centres. Let me take you through her ordeal.  

Divya discovered that she was pregnant a month ago. Though emanating from a consensual sexual relationship, she was not prepared to carry it to term.  She visited a gynaecologist in her neighbourhood seeking medical termination. 

The doctor noted down her age, marital status, and the date of her last menstrual period, and prescribed transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) of the pelvis, among other diagnostic tests. She informed Divya that the TVS was necessary to determine the gestational age of the embryo, as required under Section 3 of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, before proceeding with a termination. 

Since the said hospital had no ultrasound imaging facility, Divya took her prescription to a popular, trusted, independent diagnostic centre nearby. 

The centre duly issued an electronically generated bill to avail TVS and other blood tests the same day. She handed over the receipt at the radiology desk and awaited her turn, unaccompanied by her partner, friends or family. After an hour, her name was called out by the radiology staff.

What ensued was confusion and a denial of diagnosis, simply because Divya was not married. The two radiology personnel who enquired about Divya’s marital status refused to perform TVS, stating that “they do not conduct TVS on unmarried women.” Divya mentioned that her doctor was aware of her marital status and that no questions were asked when she presented the prescription for billing at the diagnostics centre earlier.

However, the personnel asserted that the procedure could not be done, and asked her to get a refund of her payment. On further probing, Divya was informed that the radiologist also said TVS cannot be done on unmarried women.

Divya opened an internet search engine on her mobile phone for quick research. It led her to understand that the TVS is performed using an endocavitary transducer. In other words, it involves the insertion of a scanning........

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