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Gambia Votes to Overturn Landmark Ban on Female Genital Cutting (www.nytimes.com)

submitted 8 months ago by silence7@slrpnk.net to c/world@lemmy.world

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[-] bassomitron@lemmy.world 93 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Jfc, what the hell is wrong with people? This shit isn't some gray, relativistic/cultural morality, it's just straight up genital mutilation forced upon females. And for those that don't know, female circumcision is much more destructive and dangerous than male circumcision (which I'm also against but apparently that's a touchy subject for some folks).

Edit:

OP's article is misleading: https://apnews.com/article/gambia-female-genital-cutting-7ab84af16d6b986025dd344d615bfe19

It was blocked today but will potentially come back in a few weeks to be voted on again.

[-] SeaJ@lemm.ee 72 points 8 months ago

And for those that don't know, female circumcision is much more destructive and dangerous than male circumcision (which I'm also against but apparently that's a touchy subject for some folks).

A note on why it is more destructive: they generally just take off the whole damn clit. Imagine if male circumcision involved removing the whole head of the penis. You'd have a lot fewer dudes being okay with the cultural difference.

And I hear you on male circumcision being a touchy subject. Guys will rant about it being as bad as female circumcision (it's not) on one side and on the other you have people pointing out the benefits (complications with circumcision happen more often than instances of it being beneficial). Can't we just leave kids' genitals alone unless there is an actual issue? It's so weird to obsess on changing their bits.

[-] gibmiser@lemmy.world 8 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I think for most parents it's just an uncomfortable subject and they don't want to go against the norm so they just agree to it.

[-] MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca 3 points 8 months ago

You're probably right. It's the same way that circumcision is so common in other places. It's so assumed that you almost have to tell them not to do it, or they'll just go ahead and do it... Except in most civilized countries you need authority to do a thing, so the question is always asked if that's what the parents want. They don't have to ask about it, it's basically assumed that they want it, and the doctors need to ask so that they have legal protections in case something happens.

[-] MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca 3 points 8 months ago

Whelp, that's barbaric.

I was considering saying something about the law maybe being to restrictive, and that if people with vaginas want to have the procedure, they should be allowed to have it if they choose to, but in every other case, it's banned, but the whole thing about the clit really turned me around on it.

Cosmetic surgery to reduce the labia is a thing, and such surgery should be entirely voluntary for the individual it will affect, but just hacking and slashing to the point where it's common to cut away the clit is just.... No.

Ban ban ban ban ban. I don't even have a vagina and fuck that. It's shameful enough that anyone performed that kind of mutilation, don't backslide into ignorance by lifting the ban on it.

[-] livus@mander.xyz 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

The worst part is that by calling it "cutting off the clit" @SeaJ@lemm.ee is actually underselling how bad it is.

FGM in The Gambia is mostly Type II which is when they cut off the clit and the labia minora (lips). Clit chopping is at the mild end, and at the severe end they chop everything off and sew it up leaving a small hole for pee.

[+] hemmes@lemmy.world -14 points 8 months ago

complications with circumcision happen more often than instances of it being beneficial

That's just not true, my dude.

The American Academy of Pediatrics states that "the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks and that the procedure’s benefits justify access to this procedure for families who choose it. Specific benefits identified included prevention of urinary tract infections, penile cancer, and transmission of some sexually transmitted infections, including HIV."

I'm all for choice on this topic. But they shouldn't even call it female circumcision, as there's no medical benefit to such a procedure, and such practice should only be referred to as female genital mutilation (or cutting).

Cultural and ascetic opinions aside, male circumcision is objectively medically beneficial.

[-] SeaJ@lemm.ee 27 points 8 months ago

There are also health organizations from many other countries that come to the opposite conclusion and recommend circumcision only when it is medically necessary. The policy seems outdated at the very least and based on misleading conditions at worst.

Benefits include significant reductions in the risk of urinary tract infection in the first year of life and, subsequently, in the risk of heterosexual acquisition of HIV and the transmission of other sexually transmitted infections.

UTI rates can be lowered by teaching parents to properly wash their children.

For HIV, they mention female to male transmission which is something that is extremely rare in the US. The two studies they looked at were in Africa where that actually is an issue but far from being one here in the US. There are also non surgical methods to avoid that: PrEP and/or using a condom.

As for something like HPV, we have a vaccine that prevents the vast majority of forms of HPV.

So for the most part the benefit (when not medically necessary) boils down to a very small increase in penile cancer. But even that has likely changed significantly with the increased usage of the HPV vaccine. I don't think they would recommend circumcision if they were to update the policy (which is apparently an expired policy and has not been reaffirmed).

No judgement for those who do circumcise their children but I'm personally not a fan of unnecessary surgery.

[-] saltesc@lemmy.world 15 points 8 months ago

Whenever I hear someone talk about health benefits of circumcision, I just assume they don't wash themselves very often. So despite the foreskin ironically being there for hygiene, it's probably best they have their's taken off them if they're not going to wash at least once every few days.

[-] plz1@lemmy.world 53 points 8 months ago

I wonder why all these news outlets are avoiding the use of the word mutilation, at least in headlines.

[-] circuscritic@lemmy.ca 48 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Well, I know one location I can remove from my travel itinerary.

No way I'm buying a child bride from someplace that fucked up.

[-] Siegfried@lemmy.world 14 points 8 months ago

Don't worry, there are plenty slightly less fucked up places where you can buy your own, don't lose hope op ;)

[-] bernie_lomax@lemmy.world 18 points 8 months ago

Just stop cutting anything from our out of children if not medically necessary. Leave their genitals alone, perverts. If someone has the wish to get multilated, he or she can decide for themselves at legal age.

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 17 points 8 months ago

Goddamn

[-] Mango@lemmy.world 10 points 8 months ago

Why not all of the genital cutting?

[-] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 8 points 8 months ago

Something, something, cultural issues. Something, something, ingrained acceptance.

[-] Willy@sh.itjust.works 0 points 8 months ago

we have to improve genitals. they come quite ugly and need aftermarket work. they need to reach their best state, which we have yet to achieve.

[-] Mango@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

We could fix that by making sure we see people make before deciding on sex.

[-] werefreeatlast@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

Mexico is looking into lifting wife beating limits and bar fight bitch slapping. Very little resistance...que la chingada I SAID VERY LITTLE RESISTANCE!.... Yeah so women's rights always improving like that.

I'm being super sarcastic 🤪. Please don't block me like that other post about backyard bbk cremation. It's was sarcasm 😂 and it got flagged!.

[-] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 1 points 8 months ago

Any sources on mexico?

[-] werefreeatlast@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago

Here is a full list of all the laws protecting women's rights to live a life without violence in Mexico:

http://cedoc.inmujeres.gob.mx/documentos_download/100921.pdf

Supposedly.

[-] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 1 points 7 months ago

Aaand the link doesn't work, as per usual for a .gob.mx site.

In any case, you said the government wants to get rid of those laws?

this post was submitted on 18 Mar 2024

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