Female Genital Mutilation, Also Known as Female

Female Genital Mutilation, also known as female circumcision is a practice largely in some African countries and is a process where young girls (and sometimes women) have their clitoris removed through unsafe surgical procedures. The procedure is usually done by someone with no medical training and no type of anesthesia is used. As a result, many of the young girls go into shock from the severe which often leads to death. Infection is also a threat since the instruments used to perform the procedure have not been sterilized.

It is believed that this practiced is done for religious purposes, but many consider it barbaric. Those living in America, Europe and other countries do not understand the reasoning behind this practice and many have sought to abolish it, but different cultures have very different practices and what is considered barbaric to one culture may be considered normal to another. According to Ball, some of the reasons behind the performance of the procedure are treatment for epilepsy, lesbianism or to control the urge to masturbate.

She says that some African cultures consider female circumcision as a coming of age ceremony and some cultures actually believe that if the clitoris is not removed, it will eventually grow into a penis. Legal implications have followed this practice, especially in the U.K. where many African immigrants continue to perform the procedure even though it is illegal in European countries (45). The assumption is that the immigrants do not view this procedure as illegal since it is a part of their culture.

For many, it is considered a religious ceremony and they feel that they should be free to practice their religion in the U.K. Unfortunately, those in the U.K. do not hold the same view. Although female genital mutilation may be cultural or religious in practice, it does in fact cause harm to the young girls it is performed on. If the young girl survives the incident, they are not only left with the physical scars of the operation, but also the mental scars.

Many times the young girls are not even aware that they are about to undergo the procedure as their mothers do not warn them of it. They are often held down by several adults while they are cut and suffer severe trauma. They carry this mental reminder with them throughout adulthood. The physical effects of female circumcision are often traumatic also. Many of the girls often bleed to death, or if they survive they have painful period as well as painful sexual intercourse with their husbands.

A simple task such as emptying the bladder can become quite difficult and childbirth can often be horrendous on the mother because of this procedure (Utz-Billing and Kentenich 227). Because many other cultures do not understand the practice of female genital mutilation, many different perceptions are held. A study was done with healthcare professionals in Barcelona, Spain and it was discovered that the Spaniards few this practice as a violation of women's rights.

They feel that female genital mutilation is unethical and that the girls and women who undergo this procedure do so against their will (Kaplan-Marcusan et al. 7). This is not surprising seeing that the practice is against the law in Spain. However, as mentioned before, not all of the issues surrounding female genital mutilation are being examined. It is mainly a cultural and religious practice and these issues are not being seriously considered by those in other countries where the practice is banned.

Many people around the world are fighting for the prevention of female genital mutilation. In Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, and Sweden people face the risk of prosecution if the procedure is performed. Many pediatricians have come forward in these European countries to encourage young girls to speak up if they are at risk of being circumcised (Jaeger, Caflisch, and Hohfeld 32). While they may think they are doing the proper thing and helping these young girls, they may also be putting them at odds with their families.

If the child's family decides to migrate back to their country of origin, the young girl will more than likely be circumcised anyway. This paper in no way advocates the practice of female genital mutilation. It is not only an attempt to inform the reader about the procedure, but also to discuss the issue from the prospective of those practicing it. We may never fully understand the intricacies of a culture that is vastly different from ours. In America, it is not considered acceptable to marry your cousin.

However, many other cultures practice this and do not see anything wrong with it. When we turn our nose up at cultural practices that do not coincide or fall in line with what we are used to, we are in a sense passing judgement. In order for the world to become more global, we must respect the cultures of other countries no matter how farfetched or barbaric they seem to us.

One of the main observable problems with the issue of female genital mutilation is the way in which it is performed. The instruments are not sterile to prevent infection and no types of anesthetics are used to dull the pain. We know from research that many women die because.