Do you think that genital mutilation in Africa and other countries is ok? Should America step in and take action against it? Or should we leave their customs alone?

*bump*

What about mutilation at birth? To decide what sex the baby is?

Discuss.

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Originally posted by MalibuBarbie6088:
I'm sorry but this is stupid...why are we questioning this at all? It is culture and just b/c it is not your culture or our culture does not mean that it is wrong. That's like some group coming to America and telling us that we can't wear certain clothes, can't watch TV, can't listen to music, can't eat fast food....basically taking away everything that is American. No one has the right to take away traditions and rights. We might look at their tradition of Genital Mutilation as sick, twisted and just plain wrong but to them it is a right of passage, or maybe a way of salvation, or even birth control. It's kinda like us getting shots. They hurt, and many people are scared of getting shots(me being one of those people). But we still get shots and are even required to get shots just like in African culture they have to have their vaginas sewed shut. Nobody likes it but they do it anyway.....see my point?

I'm sorry, but you must not really know what this practice is about. Men have imposed this upon women to keep them from cheating on them. It is to ensure that not only is there no pleasure for women during sex, but that there is pain. Do you understand that the entire clitoris is typically removed, ensuring painful sex, bleeding, and sometimes death? After sex or birth when the stitches are broken, she has to be re-sewn again. This is often without medication and without sterilized instruments, and begins on girls ages six to ten. It can also lead to AIDS and death from the lack of sterilization.

Women have pain through sex, a tiny hole to urinate (and bear children) from, and increased pain through and after labor. How is protesting against this any different from protesting against torture in other forms? This is, in fact, lifelong torture. There are other customs that we have protested, fought, and won against because of their brutality. This is very, very different from wearing certain clothes or television programs. It's a sick, sadistic ritual and I cannot believe that anyone would actually argue in favor of it who isn't a man trying to control his wife.

I would suggest learning more about it through Amnesty International, the World Health Organization, or other means.

It's a hiddous thing to do to ANYone,let alone
a young girl. If men think its such a great thing then let them go the the male equivelent of FGM...under the same conditions,the same way.
If they did,they'd sure change their tune in a hurry. If they really cared about females they would never let it happen to those they love.

Thank you for your replies... I will have to do more research on this topic... It sounds terrible!!!

sick and barbaric is all i have to say.....i dont give a damn about a culture that endorses serious pain

This was a dead thread but I'll answer your question briefly.

The young girl's cl!toris is scraped out with unsterilized knives without anasthesia in most cases. This functions to keep women from feeling any pleasure when they have sex. But they certaintly still have children.

Do more research on your own if you want to know more.

Does anyone know anything else about FGM... Is it dangerous, what affects does it have on thier lives? Can they still get married... have children? What's the point of it?

"Morality is in the eye of the culture"

Not to long ago people thought that slavery was ok because it was part of America's culture.

Morality is in the eye of the culture

I do not necessarily agree with circumsion. However, that is their culture. And if we go around questioning their culture, then we would go around questioning other cultures as well. I personall do not think that we have to authority to do so. Sure we have the money, but thats it. We don't even have the knowledge to go around accusing something, especially about a topic that so few people understand.

God told Abraham to circumcise his son. God also told Abraham to kill his son. Jews have been trying to stop circumcision since it started. Many Jewish male are NOT circumcised and they are still Jews because their mothers are Jews.

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I didn't know that circumsicion was a religious thing, i just thought it was something that the doctors did when a baby boy was born, automatically. hmmm....

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Well it did start from religion, if I'm not mistaken. When Abraham made a pact with God there had to be a physical sign that closed the deal(I'm trying to make it sound as simple as possible). So that's why they would all get circumsicion. But now days it's mostly a matter a hygine rather than a religious thing.

I'm sorry but this is stupid...why are we questioning this at all? It is culture and just b/c it is not your culture or our culture does not mean that it is wrong. That's like some group coming to America and telling us that we can't wear certain clothes, can't watch TV, can't listen to music, can't eat fast food....basically taking away everything that is American. No one has the right to take away traditions and rights. We might look at their tradition of Genital Mutilation as sick, twisted and just plain wrong but to them it is a right of passage, or maybe a way of salvation, or even birth control. It's kinda like us getting shots. They hurt, and many people are scared of getting shots(me being one of those people). But we still get shots and are even required to get shots just like in African culture they have to have their vaginas sewed shut. Nobody likes it but they do it anyway.....see my point?

I think it's wrong, but it is a belief/custom and I guess we have to respect that.

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And another form of genital mutilation on women I know of, is literally sewing a womens private parts. Again, to prevent her from cheating, and again, this will not benefit her physically in anyway. It's sad, and I could never imagine anyone going through it, but what could anyone do? These women live in these tribes and societies where they have to obey. It's almost expected. Their mother's went through it. Now they will.

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Im confused....if their mother's had their vagie's sewed up how could they have sex, let alone have children?

I didn't know that circumsicion was a religious thing, i just thought it was something that the doctors did when a baby boy was born, automatically. hmmm....

can someone explain what the problem is? I mean if this a culture of a tribe why are we questioning it? Does it affect you? unless the tribes people come to your door w/ a needle and thread threatening to sew you vagina shut I don't think it really affects you. And how exaclty is America interefering w/ this besdies our criticizing it on here?

although i find this extrmely disturbing its thier culture, they should be able to do whatever they want.

im sorry, but i need to have orgasms. i would never let anyone remove anything from my genitals.

In a report released by Amnesty International, Mrs. Njeri, a defender of female genital mutilation and highly respected elder in Kenya, says, "Circumcision makes women clean, promotes virginity and chastity and guards young girls from sexual frustration by deadening their sexual appetite."

isn't that what they say aboout MALE circumcision?http://www.circumstitions.com/Pleasure.html

Well, I think that genital mutilation is completely wrong. I mean is like torture. First the little girls gets stiched down there leaving only an opening for peeing. That's so they won't have sex until marriage. Then, when she get's married. It's the husbands duty cut the stiches so he can have sex with her. This takes the whole pleasure out of being a girl(yourself), getting married and having sex with your partner. It's degrading and it shouldn't happen. I don't know if the U.S should interfere, we can't just come into any country and run things as we would like.

*sweet day*