Legal News

Home Secretary Theresa May has warned that surgeons who carry out procedures to give women a “designer vagina” may be as guilty of a crime as those who carry out female genital mutilation (FGM) procedures.

The Evening Standard newspaper reports that the Home Secretary said some surgical procedures are illegal unless they justified because of physical health or mental health conditions.

In a report to Parliament, Mrs May said that operations could constitute a criminal offence even if a woman gives her consent – and added that courts could be asked to rule on whether cosmetic surgery on women’s genitals purely for aesthetic reasons might constitute a crime, just as FGM is a criminal offence.

Mrs May was responding to a report by the Home Affairs Select Committee on FGM, in which MPs have called on the government to outlaw cosmetic genital surgery on girls under the age of 18.

Procedures which are used on female genitals include improving the appearance of female sexual organs by reducing the size of the labia, as well as tightening the vagina and increasing the size of the “G spot” to increase pleasure.

A report on reducing the size of labia by the British Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology says there is no scientific evidence to support the practice – which is often carried out for purely aesthetic reasons. The report adds that the health risk to girls who have the procedure – and especially those under the age of 18 – include infection, excessive bleeding and a reduction in sensitivity in the sexual organs.

Many young girls are persuaded to have cosmetic surgery as a result of peer pressure or celebrity influences – however, cosmetic surgery before young adults have stopped growing and developing may, in some cases, mean a less satisfactory result.

The Royal College of Gynaecologists has also blamed marketing by the private cosmetic surgery sector for young girls opting for cosmetic procedures – as well as images online of young women seeking cosmetic genital surgery to improve the appearance of their sexual organs.

The Home Secretary said, however, that she had no plans to create a specific offence to cover cosmetic genital procedures, as prosecutions could be brought under the existing Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003, which applies to England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Mrs May told MPs:

“If a procedure is unnecessary for physical or mental health – and is not carried out in connection with childbirth – then it is an offence, even if the woman on whom it is carried out consented.

“Ultimately, it would be for a court to decide if purely cosmetic surgery constitutes mutilation and is therefore illegal.”

Duncan Lewis Crime Lawyers

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of crime lawyers and can advise at any stage of a criminal charge, including charges relating to female genital mutilation, assault, sexual assault, ABH/GBH, domestic violence, rape, revenge porn – and making, distributing and downloading indecent images.

Duncan Lewis crime lawyers regularly visit police stations and courts to advise on sexual offences and assault charges, including youth courts and Magistrates’ Courts.

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