People here have scoffed at the comparison between male genital mutilation and female genital mutilation, insisting that the two are completely different. But, where the comparison holds is in the fact that where FGM is practiced, the arguments for and against are basically identical to MGM. People will insist that it's cleaner, that it prevents disease, that women prefer it, that the men prefer it, that the women are happy that it was done to them, and that it's some kind of deviation to be natural and unmodified. They will also, with a straight face and apparently believing themselves, insist that sexual function is not impeded, just like those that say the same about MGM, despite the pile of skin and nerves in the trashcan, and the scarred and altered results. It's all the same, just with the genders switched. The motivations are exactly the same...desire to control and mutilate the helpless to satisfy some kind of bizarre reptillian-brain urges in the empowered adults, along with a coping mechanism of their own mutilation and a desire to continue the practice so that part of the population isn't handicapped compared to the other.
According to a joint WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA statement, the use of the word "mutilation" reinforces the idea that this practice is a violation of the human right..They state that, at the community level, however, the term can be problematic...parents resent the suggestion that they are "mutilating" their daughters.
wikipedia
Two studies have reported that FGC is associated with decreased risk of HIV.[50][51]
"AIDS and women's health care in developing countries". Trop Geogr Med 44 (3): 284–5.
Lightfoot-Klein (1989) studied circumcised and infibulated females in Sudan, stating, "Contrary to expectations, nearly 90% of all women interviewed said that they experienced orgasm (climax) or had at various periods of their marriage experienced it. Frequency ranged from always to rarely." Lightfoot-Klein stated that the quality of orgasm varied from intense and prolonged, to weak or difficult to achieve.
In fact, among certain communities, especially Mary Githuma's Meru and Nyamato's Kisii, even educated men prefer to marry circumcised women...
A recent study carried out by FPAK among the Meru found out that most of the parents, and indeed their daughters, opt for FGM just to toe the line.
"We must respect our tradition. The girl must be taught how to take care of herself hygienically,"
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/36/193.htmlDr. Ahmadu, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Chicago...has argued that the critics of the procedure exaggerate the medical dangers, misunderstand the effect on sexual pleasure, and mistakenly view the removal of parts of the clitoris as a practice that oppresses women.
"For the National Assembly to legislate on female circumcision is to criminalise our custom", writes Nowa Omoigui.
What is removed is the prepuce - a small piece of the sheath that extends from the clitoris. That sheath has no sexual function.
there is absolutely no evidence that maternal and child mortality in Nigeria is increased because of properly performed [female] circumcision
Who advised the World Health Organization to coin the phrase "[female genital] mutilation"? Whoever did was cynically manipulating language. We "mutilate" the umbilical cord by cutting it off at birth and arbitrarily deciding how long the navel should be. We "mutilate" our bodies with ear rings, tongue rings, tatoos, nose jobs etc... We "keep" biologically excretory products like nails and hair - and use them for beautification - and do so differently, I might add, depending on the cultural environment. Some western women (in the US) begin to shave their leg hair at age 10. Has anyone else in the world attacked them for mutilating what God put there for a reason? We use traditional marks for medicinal and symbolic purposes.... Why is that not 'mutilation' of the skin? Why not ban it?
Note how similar his arguments are to the ones used right here by those who refuse to accept that male circumcision is worth of the word 'mutilation'.
Nowa Omoigui is a medical doctor in South Carolina, USA.
Federal law prohibiting FGM was enacted in 1996. Seventeen states enacted similar laws between 1994 and 2006. Although I oppose federal legislation in areas like this, I feel that it is high time for MGM to be treated the same way; that's why I support the CA law and would support any other law manning mutilation of children.
