Question

Does outlawing the practice of female circumcision (FGM) in our country contradict our current emphasis on multiculturalism and acceptance? How does it relate to the practice of male circumsion and the issue of body autonomy?

Answer 1

The non-therapeutic surgical alteration of children’s genitals is treated very differently in Western societies, depending upon the sex or gendera of the child whose genitals are altered. When such alteration is done to females, it is often branded “female genital mutilation” (or FGM) and is typically deemed to be wholly impermissible. FGM is illegal in many developed countries, is punishable by lengthy prison sentences and/or hefty fines,9 and is proscribed by the United Nations.10,11 When