Female circumcision: Cultural right or abomination of a religious ritual act?

Forums: Npr, Science Friday, Scifri, Female Circumcision, Religious Rituals
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Is it Right to Nick?
This month, the American Academy of Pediatrics proposed that consideration be given to allowing U.S. doctors to perform a 'ritual nick' on the genitals of female infants, in the hopes that allowing such a practice might dissuade parents from subjecting the girls to traditional genital cutting procedures. The proposal is extremely controversial, and the recommendation proposed by the group would be prohibited under current law.

"The American Academy of Pediatrics opposes all types of female genital cutting that pose risks of physical or psychological harm, counsels its members not to perform such procedures, recommends that its members actively seek to dissuade families from carrying out harmful forms of FGC, and urges its members to provide patients and their parents with compassionate education about the harms of FGC while remaining sensitive to the cultural and religious reasons that motivate parents to seek this procedure for their daughters," the group said in a statement. We'll talk about the proposal, and the challenges faced when medicine mix with morality.

Guests

Dena Davis
Professor of Law
Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
Cleveland State University
Cleveland, Ohio

For the interview/podcast:
http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201005143

One observation I made from the interview and I'm wondering if I understand what I heard: the professor mentioned that some US residing families practicing this pathetic and violent practice take their infant daughters into Canada to have this procedure handled as it's presently illegal in the US. Is female circumcision legal in Canada? Please say it ain't so!

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Canada
FGC is considered child assault and prohibited under sections 267 (assault causing bodily harm) or 268 (aggravated assault, including wounding, maiming, disfiguring) of the Criminal Code.
Maybe these families you refer to have some friend or relative who would do it in Canada.
Usually the families go back to their home country to have it done.
It is more a tradition than a religious act.
Strangely enough it is most difficult to convince women not to allow it tot be done their daughters or granddaughters than it is to convince a man that he should not allow it.

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@saab,

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Strangely enough it is most difficult to convince women not to allow it tot be done their daughters or granddaughters than it is to convince a man that he should not allow it.

I have heard women who have gone through it swear up and down that this custom has benefits that make it worth continuing. It has to do with enhancing the harmony between the man and woman, stabilizing family life.

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All genital circumcisions should be banned. All this religious nonsense has created enough problems.

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@talk72000,

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All genital circumcisions should be banned. All this religious nonsense has created enough problems.

Where do you get the right to make such demands? We don't have a global government, so long as your nation has a law against it isn't your work done?

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@hawkeye10,

So? What are your global views on rape, child porn, slave labor, and genocide? The global community should allow these criminal institutions if one particular country or cultural group legally and/or morally approves?

This coming from someone who thinks male circumcision is an important public health policy and should be more widely used in the global scheme of things.

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@tsarstepan,

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So? What are your global views on rape, child porn, slave labor, and genocide? The global community should allow these criminal institutions if one particular country or cultural group legally and/or morally approves?

Sovereignty of nations must be respected unless a good case can be made that government has stopped functioning. Sovereignty of different cultures must be respected always. We have the right to promote the western view of human rights, we however are in no position, legally, morally, or ethically, to demand anything.

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@talk72000,

It is more of a tradition than a religious thing which even goes back to old Egyptian times.

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@hawkeye10,

hawkeye10 wrote:

Quote:
So? What are your global views on rape, child porn, slave labor, and genocide? The global community should allow these criminal institutions if one particular country or cultural group legally and/or morally approves?

Sovereignty of nations must be respected unless a good case can be made that government has stopped functioning. Sovereignty of different cultures must be respected always. We have the right to promote the western view of human rights, we however are in no position, legally, morally, or ethically, to demand anything.

So if I found an island nation that allows me to cannibalize the brains and hands of infants and toddlers under the auspice of religious rites and practices, you'd respect my sovereignty and cultural differences?

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@tsarstepan,

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So if I found an island nation that allows me to cannibalize the brains and hands of infants and toddlers under the auspice of religious rites and practices, you'd respect my sovereignty and cultural differences?

yes, and I would tell you that I think that your way is wrong, and why.

We have a thread here about Pitcairn where the Brits prosecuted for the historical practice of adult males breaking in teen girls sexually, which is a practice that has often been a part of primitive cultures. I argued the the Brits were wrong to do so.

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@hawkeye10,

Where is the incentive to stop raping girls, cannibalizing nuns, or using slave labor when all you do is tsk tsk?

That's like telling a criminal "Hey!! Don't steal that car or ... I'll warn you again not to steal that car! That'll teach ya!"

Because everyone knows the best way to stop violent and/or malicious behavior is just to verbally condemn the actions of the transgressor.

International witness of hate crime: Stop! Don't lynch that black man!! That's a naughty thing to do!! Tsk tsk!
Racist murderer: Golly gee!! I guess I won't kill this n!gger and commit racist violence against the black community of my country they Tsk tsked me. I'm glad they respect my sovereign right to commit racial violence.

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@tsarstepan,

If your idea is not right enough to be able to convince others that you are right, then maybe you are not right. Might does not make right, reflection of your opinion in cosmic consciousness makes you right. If you can not even convince fellow earthlings of your scheme for right living then you should go back and reconsider your opinions. If you are still sure that you are right then you should try to figure out why you and the like minded are such a failures at the effort to raise human consciousness.

Other humans are not children, you have no right to say "do this because I say so". It is also counterproductive, because just as treating people like animals brings out the worst in them, so does treating them like children.

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@hawkeye10,

You will notice a theme, because I don't agree with treating older children like children either. I have generated a lot of hostility around here because I argue that teens should be allowed sexual freedom. I have also talked about how I hand over responsibility and sovereignty to my offspring as soon as is practical, to very good result, and encourage others to do the same.

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Female circumcision: Cultural right or abomination of a religious ritual act?

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