The Thin Line Between Surgery and Mutilation

Non-medically necessitated surgeries on intersex children may be perceived as “normalizing” by some in the United States; female genital mutilation may be seen as “normalizing” in Somalia, for instance, and in turn, in Somali communities in America. In the other case — the parents who practice female genital mutilation — we believe that they are prone to superstitions, nonrational and nonscientific; that they don’t know what is best for their child and thus must be made to see the folly of their ways. The immigrant communities of color that are being targeted by the bills regarding female genital mutilation need outreach and resources, not punitive measures like imprisonment and the removal of children from their families.

Source: www.nytimes.com