Female Genital Mutilation Has Been Condoned By American Doctors

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) was just downgraded to “cutting” and is being encouraged for doctors in the USA.

This is seriously distressing news and I have to wonder what they could possibly have been thinking!

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) just released a policy called “Ritual Genital Cutting of Female Minors” which encouraged “federal and state laws [to] enable pediatricians to reach out to families by offering a ‘ritual nick’”.

This is distressing because the practice, which usually involves “partial or total removal of the female genitalia”, has been identified as a form of gender-based violence and both “the World Health Organization and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics have unequivocally opposed FGM as a ‘medically unnecessary’ practice”.

Also, previous policies of the AAP relating to FGM have used much harsher language.

The 1998 policy uses the term “mutilation” and declared FGM to be “a human rights violation, opposes all forms of FGM, and cautions pediatricians about their role in ‘perpetuating a social practice with cultural implications for the status of women.’”

So what the hell is going on here?

I fail to understand how such harsh criticism could be turned around as far as encouraging doctors to help families perpetuate this act on their girls. Is there something political going on here we don’t know about?

On the other hand, I think I might have an idea what they were aiming for.

Perhaps they were thinking that if doctors engaged with these communities, and were able to perform a symbolic cut, then perhaps that would lead to a more sterile environment, less infection, less damage to genitals, and a way for these rituals to continue in a safe manner.

But is this really the best way to manage it?

Will this change in policy help those girl by reducing the damage (as I speculated above) or will it cause a whole lot more girls to be mutilated?

I fail to see how it is going to do anything but cause more damage.

Previously, those people who were determined to do it would have found a way, regardless of any legal implications, and those who were unsure would have not done it because they wouldn’t want to get in trouble.

This means that all of those who were fence-sitters before will now easily be pushed by their communities to continue FGM because the new policy will simply give licence to those who were previously holding off.

I hope I’m wrong about this, but I think the new policy will only cause more damage to girls and should be revoked as soon as possible.Very bad move AAP. Care to explain yourselves??

Equality Now is helping to fight FGM, along with many other charities. Also read more about FGM here on WHO site.