Female genital mutilation 'offered by UK medics'

[Neoma]

As many as 100,000 women in Britain have undergone female genital mutilations (FGM) with medics in the UK offering to carry out the illegal procedure on girls as young as 10, it has been reported.

Investigators from the Sunday Times said they had secretly filmed a doctor, dentist and alternative medicine practitioner who were allegedly willing to perform FGM or arrange for the operation to be carried out. The doctor and dentist deny any wrongdoing.

The practice, which involves the surgical removal of external genitalia and in some cases the stitching of the vaginal opening, is illegal in Britain and carries up to a 14-year prison sentence. It is also against the law to arrange FGM.

More here.

[CBGLuthier]

1. I wonder if the doctors are muslims, money grubbing assholes, or both?

Some cultures in this world are really sick.

[niyad]

2. FGM is more involved than the article indicates

Female genital mutilation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Female genital mutilation
Description Partial or complete removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs, for non-medical reasons
Areas practiced Western, eastern, and north-eastern Africa, Middle East, Near East, Southeast Asia
Number affected 135 million women and girls as of 1997
Age performed A few days after birth to age 15; occasionally in adulthood
Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting and female circumcision, is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons."[1]
FGM is typically carried out on girls from a few days old to puberty. It may take place in a hospital, but is usually performed, without anaesthesia, by a traditional circumciser using a knife, razor, or scissors. According to the WHO, it is practiced in 28 countries in western, eastern, and north-eastern Africa, in parts of the Middle East, and within some immigrant communities in Europe, North America, and Australasia.[2] The WHO estimates that 100–140 million women and girls around the world have experienced the procedure, including 92 million in Africa.[1] The practise is carried out by some communities who believe it reduces a woman's libido.[3]
The WHO has offered four classifications of FGM. The main three are Type I, removal of the clitoral hood, almost invariably accompanied by removal of the clitoris itself (clitoridectomy); Type II, removal of the clitoris and inner labia; and Type III (infibulation), removal of all or part of the inner and outer labia, and usually the clitoris, and the fusion of the wound, leaving a small hole for the passage of urine and menstrual blood—the fused wound is opened for intercourse and childbirth.[4] Around 85 percent of women who undergo FGM experience Types I and II, and 15 percent Type III, though Type III is the most common procedure in several countries, including Sudan, Somalia, and Djibouti.[5] Several miscellaneous acts are categorized as Type IV. These range from a symbolic pricking or piercing of the clitoris or labia, to cauterization of the clitoris, cutting into the vagina to widen it (gishiri cutting), and introducing corrosive substances to tighten it.[4]

. . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_genital_mutilation

[msongs]

3. so have they also outlawed genital mutilation of boys or is that still open season? nt

[boston bean]

10. talking about FGM means it's open season on genital mutilation of boys? nt

[Neoma]

11. It's the "My genital mutilation is worse than yours." Arguement probably.

People like to argue over that, so I've heard.

[Meiko]

4. What

a horrible crazy thing to do to someone.

[clyrc]

5. This drives me insane

I wish I could write more elegantly about how angry and sad it makes me, but I can't. And frankly, I can't imagine what my life would have been like if I had had this done. Very very different is all I can imagine, in a sad way.

[ZombieHorde]

6. FGM is extremely disturbing to me.

I hate it.

[get the red out]

7. Honestly

I HATE in every imaginable way all cultures that do this, and all who apologize for them or accept it.

I believe if I lived in Britain, or any number of other European countries at this point in time, I would be a right winger. I would not want people that do this to girls in my country at all.

The Europeans are fighting battles trying to save their own humane cultures that we can't comprehend. It makes me sad when so many all knowing liberal MEN here in the US act like this sort of behavior toward females is just a cultural preference, like maybe eating curried rice for dinner or wearing a particular scarf or hat.

I believe in human rights before the rights of religion, culture, or tradition. If that makes me not a "good" liberal, so be it. I've been told over and over by people how I can't really be a liberal because I feel this way.

14 years isn't enough, people who do this should be tried for extreme human rights violations and sentenced to live. If this isn't a human rights violation, then there are NO evils that rise to that level.

[CreekDog]

8. Why would you be a right winger? It's illegal to do this in the UK and anywhere to its girls

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/when-things-go-wrong/fgm/

The Law
The Female Genital Mutilation Act was introduced in 2003 and came into effect in March 2004.

The Act:
Makes it illegal to practice FGM in the UK;
Makes it illegal to take girls who are British nationals or permanent residents of the UK abroad for FGM whether or not it is lawful in that country;
Makes it illegal to aid, abet, counsel or procure the carrying out of FGM abroad;
Has a penalty of up to 14 years in prison and/or a fine

-------------

And as a liberal man who knows tons of other liberals, I don't know any that don't oppose FGM. (by the way, we see what you did there)


--------------

"The Europeans are fighting battles trying to save their own humane cultures that we can't comprehend"

I don't even know where to begin with that one...

[get the red out]

9. If we are honest

We know what it's about. People who cannot seem to progress beyond lives built on human rights abuses skirting the laws governments have in place. So what about the law? 100,000 girls have still been horrifically abused, the law is doing incredibly well at protecting them isn't it? Stinking dentists are setting up shop to mutilate girls. I would not be in favor of ignoring such cultural practices, that's what would make me a right winger there. Europe is far ahead of us in health care and great ideas like that, now they have to fight very ancient battles for human rights for all and the laws seem to mean nothing to many people, professional people.

I guess you still don't know where to start, I tend to put sacred cows on the grill with barbecue sauce and I know people think up all kinds of nasty stereotypes for folks like that, like me.

Ah yes, you are a man, I am editing to say that I just looked at your profile and noticed that.

[Warren DeMontague]

12. Sadly, there are people on this board who demand "cultural tolerance" for this practice, while

Simultaneously arguing that things like racy books, magazines and tv shows, not to mention cheesecake filled pancakes (!) should be banned.

Seriously. Disgusting.