For Shame

That Jordan continues to treat crimes of honor with impunity is unfortunate for the victims past, present, and future. In today’s Jordan Times I discovered another dimension regarding these crimes that has bothered me in the past, and now I know why. I refer to the statement that, “the report indicated that the victim was a virgin according to the source.” Whether or not the victim is a virgin can only refer to the guilt of the victim. If the woman was not a virgin, she deserved to be killed, or if she is a virgin, then ‘Oops, sorry made a mistake’ might bother the killer. It certainly should not affect the ruling of the judge.

An autopsy to determine cause of death is official and the results are a matter of public record. The condition of a hymen does not affect or determine the cause of death, so I do not understand why this information is needed at all. Pathologists are medical doctors and are under a strict code of ethics to keep medical information about their patients confidential. Dead or alive, the body of a human being deserves respect. No doctor should violate his professional ethics to divulge such useless information as this under any circumstances. To do so is disgraceful and the final indignity for the victim. For shame.

ASH