Female Circumcision Essay

The procedure is done so often in some cultures that the procedure has become the norm. Another issue that is briefly discussed in both V-Day and the articles is using professional medical advice and doctors during procedures. Doctors should be able to make the procedure less painful with less emotional scaring, however, the use of medical advice does not follow cultural rules/regulations. There is still a large percentage of girls who have this procedure done (over half in Indonesia). Additionally, there is no benefit to this procedure, yet some cultures continue to have it performed. This is another aspect that I do not fully understand. Many cultures realize there is no benefit to the procedure, but it is still performed regularly. I was even more surprised to learn that this procedure is performed in America (even though it is typically performed for people who have immigrated). When the procedure is practiced in America, I wonder the type of conditions the procedure is performed in. I can not imagine this procedure is performed in hospitals or private practices.

Too, as a mother, I struggled much with the decision on whether to circumcise my son. Though I was well read on the matter, the idea of inflicting pain to this little wonder I had spent nine-months protecting appeared nearly counterproductive and in some dark spaces of my mind, plain cruel. However, my husband steady inflection of “this must be done” kept a fair amount of fear from overwhelming me. He certainly voiced more opinions on the subject than me, and personally, my argument was largely overlooked due to my lacking the appropriate appendage to relate. Looking back now, I find my concerns had more to do with medical implications of the procedure, while my husband’s foundations for circumcision spawned from values. Our text even boasts

The horrible practice of female circumcision in sections of Africa as summarized in Female Circumcision: Rite of Passage or Violation of Rights? must be stopped. Female circumcision has been exercised for centuries in Africa and is usually performed without any anesthetic by practitioners with insufficient knowledge of human medicine or anatomy. Female genital cutting is a component for preparing adolescent girls for womanhood and marriage. There are three general types of genital excision: clitoridectomy, excision, and infibulation - the severity is in ascending order. Infibulation is the most severe and is “particularly likely to cause long-term health problems” (Althaus 245). Despite the ample amount of risks and health problems, some practitioners view female circumcision as an “integral part of their cultural and ethnic identity, and some perceive it as a religious obligation” (Althaus 243). The cultural practice of female circumcision requires the scrutiny of the West and should be abolished altogether because genital excision is injurious to women's health, has no health benefits, and is a violation of human rights.

Circumcision is a barbaric practice that has no medical purposes besides for appearance and what is more attractive to the opposite gender. Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin, it is a practice that got started because of religion. Circumcision is usually performed on the second day after the baby is born. During a circumcision, the foreskin is freed from the head of the penis, and the extra foreskin is removed. The foreskin is a normal part of a male child, it is not a birth defect or something that has to be removed for the safety of the child. Circumcision is painful to the baby boy, they do not give them medicine to numb the pain or put them to sleep. The baby is in so much pain from the removal of the foreskin they go into shock

The practice of female circumcision is happening in areas across the globe such as Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The United states and Serval others counties look at this as a vicious act of genital mutilation and an outright human rights violation (Clay, 2017, p.g.22). The practice of female circumcision has gone on for years as a cultural rite of passage in some countries. Other countries see it as a religious belief and others see it as a way to make their daughter more desirable for a husband The author reports that even through in the United States that many women more than half a million are still at risk of having their genital cut from the CDC reports in 2012 (Clay, 2017,

Intermediate (or excision) includes the removal of the entire clitoris, clitoral prepuce, and some or all of the labia minora and often some or all of the labia majora. Infibulation is one of the most severe kind of FC/GM, it includes the first two procedures and then partial closing the vaginal opening by joining the raw tissue on the two sides together so that scar tissue forms across the vaginal opening. The other can include that does any damage to the genital area including piercings, etc.("Female Circumcision"). The procedure is usually done by a female family member and sometimes even by a stranger. Doctors hardly ever did this procedure, which means nothing is sanitized and they did not use professional equipment. Broken glass and razor blades are used to perform the procedure. Many girls die after or during the procedure due to shock, hemorrhaging, or infection. It is very painful and girls are not given any anesthetics. Herbs, animal fat, dung, or other substances are applied to the wound after the operation to prevent excessive bleeding and infection; which cause more infections. Many years after, girls are faced with complications and pain with urination, menstruation and

Let’s say breakfast cereal was invented to prevent you from masturbating and keep men pure and sane. In Jewish, Islamic, and Christian practices a newborn boy must be circumcised in order to be accepted by their god. Others have formed organizations fighting circumcision -- a surgery that removes the foreskin covering the glans of the penis -- because it is viewed as inhumane and extremely traumatic to a newborn boy. Thankfully, people have found scientific proof which provide the public with medical reasons and facts as to why circumcision might or might not be necessary in a male’s life. In American Culture, circumcision has been a medically suggested practice in order to prevent penile cancer, urinary-tract infections(UTIs) and a lower risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Not to mention the astounding amount of numbers that show over 2.1 million males in America that have been circumcised since 2008 at some point in their lives. Despite what side a parent or adult male may side on as far as getting a circumcision research is important.

Male circumcision is done by removing the foreskin around the head of the penis and is usually done 1-2 days after birth. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Male circumcision reduces the risk that a man will acquire HIV from an infected female partner, and also lowers the risk of other STDs, penile cancer, and infant urinary tract infection. For female partners, male circumcision reduces the risk of cervical cancer, genital ulceration, bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, and HPV. Although male circumcision has risks including pain, bleeding, and infection, more serious complications are rare”(1). Another risk includes, decrease in sensitivity. In other words, there are both benefits and risks to male circumcision. The cause of male circumcision is health benefits and religious reasons.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is commonly referred to as female circumcision. The process of FGM involves altering the clitoris, sometimes removing it partially or entirely. FGM is a social construction practiced by a myriad of countries, although no construction is absolutely universal for every culture. For my multicultural paper am going to discuss in detail, the historical orientation of FGM. Additionally I will compare and contrast the practices of FGM versus the western version of male circumcision through a religious lens.

America is the only country in the Western world that routinely circumcises newborn boys. Eighty-five percent of the world’s men are uncircumcised. “The practice violates all seven principles of the American Medical Association’s code of ethics,” charges George Denniston, M.D., a Seattle physician and founder of Doctors Opposing Circumcision. “By definition it’s not even surgery. Surgery is removal of diseased tissue, or a repair of some kind.” “Nonsense,” says Edgar Schoen, M.D., director of perinatal screening at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in California, and an outspoken proponent of circumcision. “There are numerous medical reasons for it.” This pro and con argument has been raging in the medical community for almost three decades. Meanwhile, the circumcisions continue.

I have heard about female circumcision but I have never seen it done. I was in a great shock while watching the girl being circumcised in the video shared by the professor. The female genital mutilation was done in an untidy environment, without anesthesia or antiseptic; and to see it done with unsterilized and sharp tool like razor blades was disheartening.

Regarding with beauty there are necessary pain women must endure to be perceived as beautiful. At a young age, girls are taught that part of social acceptance and acknowledgement includes endurance and suffering on their own parts. (Magenya 7). Short term consequences may include severe pain, shock, hemorrhage (bleeding), tetanus or sepsis (bacterial infection), urine retention, open sores in the genital region and injury to nearby genital tissue (Obermeyer 448). It is usually a result of the four types of partial or total removal of the external female genitals (Wilson 21). There are four types of partial or total removal of the external female genitals Type I, also known as (sunna) is the partial or total removal of the clitoris and/or the prepuce (clitoridectomy) (Wilson 21). Type II is the partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora. Type III is the removal of the clitoris, labia minora, labia major and the sewing of the vagina (Billing & Kentenich 226). A small opening is left for menstruation and urine to pass by. Type IV does not have a specific criteria because of the ranging activities it consists of as pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization (Wilson 21). It is basically the removal of all external female genitals,

Circumcision is a commonly performed and highly controversial medical procedure. This procedure is not new however, it has dated back centuries in humanity. “Circumcision is a surgical procedure that involves removal of the foreskin on the glans penis”(Hisley&Ward, 2009). There are many reasons this procedure is controversial including religious and social beliefs, medical risks and benefits, and personal opinions. The medical benefits of having this procedure done are not believed to be true by everyone which creates different opinions by medical professionals, although circumcision has become a very common procedure in the United States and is accepted by the majority of the population.

Female circumcision, also known as female genital mutilation (FGM), is a major topic in the feminist spotlight. Based solely on the difference between the descriptions of the topic (circumcision vs. mutilation), it is easy to see there is conflict of opinions about the ethics surrounding the practice. While male circumcision is often easily accepted in modern day society, female circumcision is not. The common stereotype is that female circumcision is performed as a male dominance practice (Vestbostad & Blystad, 2014), however, there are many alternate traditions surrounding the practice. Therefore, I will investigate both sides of the story: the religious/traditional outlook, feminist/human rights outlook and why concern is placed on female circumcision over male.

Thus, female genital cutting, the most commonly covered type of genital cutting logically seems to be the type to discuss first. Female genital cutting has also been referred to as female genital mutilation (FGM) and female circumcision, however both of these terms are loaded with different connotations. Female genital mutilation, as discussed by Christine J. Walley of New York University in her article “Searching for “Voices”,” “carries the implicit assumption that parents and relatives deliberately intend to harm children,” (Walley, 407); moreover, “mutilation”