Just a Nick: Pediatricians Endorse Minor Female Genital Cutting

by Alex DiBranco · 2010-05-10 10:02:00 UTC
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Cue controversy: the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) wants doctors to give a "ritual nick" to girls' clitorises.

What possible medical reason could there be for supporting female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice that has zero medical benefits and severe health risks? The AAP figures that letting American doctors give small pricks or incisions to girls' genitals will placate parents seeking the procedure for traditional reasons, keeping the children safe from more severe genital mutilation.

On Pharyngula, PZ Meyers paraphrases this policy as, "We'll just mutilate baby girls a little bit, to make the misogynist patriarchal assholes happy." (He also points out that the board of the AAP are all men.) Equality Now, an organization devoted to protecting women's human rights, warns that official sanction for the practice in the United States could make it harder for mother's to oppose subjecting their daughters to FGM.

On the other hand, Amanda Marcotte argues that turning a harmful practice into a symbolic ritual could have a positive impact. I sympathize with this perspective, but object to her equating FGM with male circumcision, a legal practice in America because it has fewer dangers and actual medical benefits. Moreover, while I believe the AAP's intention is to do right by children, given that significant inroads have been made around the world in removing cultural support for FGM, this seems a step in the wrong direction. And needless genital cutting, even minor, can always lead to health complications. I wonder just how big a small incision is, and if this isn't just paving the way for sanctioned mutilation.

One thing I do know: in the United States where FGM is illegal, we still worry about girls being sent abroad to be cut, no doubt a concern of the AAP. A bill in Congress would protect girls by making this a criminal act. I encourage you to sign the petition asking your Congressperson to make this bill a reality.

Photo credit: aesop

Alex DiBranco is a Change.org Editor who has worked for the Nation, Political Research Associates, and the Center for American Progress. She is now based in New York City.
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