A long history of virginity testing

How a newspaper story changed government policy overnight

Since the beginning of July, it has been an offence throughout the United Kingdom to carry out virginity testing, with or without the victim’s consent. The maximum penalty is five years’ imprisonment.

Until last month, virginity testing was legal. Indeed, not so long ago it was government policy. This is a redacted copy of a mistyped consent form used by Home Office officials in the late 1970s:

What, though, is virginity testing? And how was the Labour government’s policy ended overnight by a single newspaper story, celebrated in this fine cartoon?

Cartoon (unpublished) drawn in 1979 by Ken Mahood (1930-2020). At that time, all civil servants were presumed to wear black jackets and striped trousers.