Towards the end of July, a small group of Georgian women gathered outside the country’s National Forensics Bureau to protest against the introduction of a paid service to certify a prospective bride’s virginity.
The protesters saw the service as yet another attack on the rights of women in Georgia. The Georgian Orthodox Church has become more action-oriented as it tries to defend what it sees as traditional values. And within its sights now is abortion, using Georgia’s skewed sex ratio as its justification to try to get a total ban.
