Mushroom, //there's a school of thought that says using the term "FGM", in which the m stands for mutilation stigmatizes those whose cultures practice it, thus "female circumcision" is more politically acceptable. thus the comparison is valid.//
Whatever ‘spin’ people employ in an effort to make this practice appear more acceptable, the comparison is not valid and people who subject their children to torture should not be protected from criticism in this way – and neither should the perpetrators. They deserve to be stigmatized. This discussion should not be side-lined by comparison with male circumcision. There is no comparison. However, for the record both Jewish and Muslim boys are routinely circumcised in infancy as a requirement of their parents’ religion. Despite the insistence of the apologists that this is a ‘cultural’ practice and nothing to do with religion, FGM, which involves the removal of the clitoris and in many instances of the inner labia and sometimes the outer labia too, is frequently carried out as a perceived religious requirement. The area is often then stitched allowing a very small space from which menstrual blood may escape (albeit slowly!) and leaving the victim physically incapable of participating naturally in sexual intercourse – I will leave the unthinkable scenario of both results to the reader’s imagination. As the final letter in the acronym ‘FGM’ accurately conveys, this is mutilation.
The NHS lists the long term effects thus:
• chronic vaginal and pelvic infections
• abnormal periods
• difficulty passing urine, and persistent urine infections
• kidney impairment and possible kidney failure
• damage to the reproductive system, including infertility
• cysts and the formation of scar tissue
• complications in pregnancy and newborn deaths
• pain during sex and lack of pleasurable sensation
• psychological damage, including low libido, depression and anxiety (see below)
• flashbacks during pregnancy and childbirth
• the need for later surgery to open the lower vagina for sexual intercourse and childbirth
Prosecution does not benefit past victims, but it would be of great benefit to potential future victims causing parents, who are wholly culpable, to think again before committing their little girls to this disgusting barbarism. There is no acceptable excuse.