{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/health-and-care-act-2022/section-144",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/health-and-care-act-2022/section-144.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2022/31",
  "legislation_title": "Health and Care Act 2022",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/health-and-care-act-2022",
  "path": "section/144",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "144",
  "heading": "Offence of virginity testing: Northern Ireland",
  "text": "(1) It is an offence under the law of Northern Ireland for a person to carry out virginity testing.\n(2) “Virginity testing” means the examination of female genitalia, with or without consent, for the purpose (or purported purpose) of determining virginity.\n(3) An offence is committed under subsection (1) only if the person—\n(a) is in Northern Ireland, or\n(b) is outside the United Kingdom, and is a United Kingdom national or habitually resident in Northern Ireland.\n(4) “United Kingdom national” means an individual who is—\n(a) a British citizen, a British overseas territories citizen, a British National (Overseas) or a British Overseas citizen,\n(b) a person who under the British Nationality Act 1981 is a British subject, or\n(c) a British protected person within the meaning of that Act.\n(5) In subsection (2), “female genitalia” means a vagina or vulva.",
  "extent": "N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 144 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 186(6)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I2",
      "text": "S. 144 in force at 1.7.2022 by S.I. 2022/734, reg. 2(a), Sch. (with regs. 13, 29, 30)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/section/144",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T08:56:41.503468+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}