"Female and Intersexual Genital Mutilation in North America"

Author:Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance

URL- http://www.religioustolerance.org

Copyrighted 1995, 1996, 1997

"The Three Feminine Sorrows"

Jean L. Fourcroy, MD, PhD Urology Assistant Professor-

U.S.U.H.S. Past President American Medical Women’s Association

URL-http://www.fgm.org/fourcroy.html

I have combined both articles in this review, because the first has so many references and the second goes into more detail on Female Genital Mutilation, per se. (Because this phenomenon is considered a disorder, like Arthritis, or Diabetes, it is capitalized.)

"Female and Intersexual Genital Mutilation in North America"

The first section of this article is written more toward the goal of outlawing any mutilation whatsoever, especially of minor children. This is a great problem in people who are immigrating from the Middle East, since Female Genital Mutilation is not considered a disfiguring abnormality there, but a rite of passage, or a mark of acceptance in their culture. The first part of the article describes some legislation that has been passed to protect young girls from this unnecessary surgery. It brings up the point that because of the new laws, the people who practice FGM may go underground. The author states, "The operation can be life threatening if performed by untrained individuals; if the operation is botched, the parents may be reluctant to take the child to a hospital out of fear of being criminally charged with child abuse"[2].

The second part of the article contains more detail on intersex mutilation; that is, surgery done to attempt to fix an "accident of nature"(quotes mine). Sometimes pediatricians will try to correct a baby who has been born a true hermaphrodite, one with both male and female genitalia. They try to determine which sex the baby is and then operate accordingly. "In 90% of cases, intersex infants undergo genital surgery to make them appear as a ‘normal’ female’", because according to one doctor, "‘You can make a hole, but you can’t build a pole’" [3]. The second section of the article concerns religious attacks on intersexuals. At this point in the article, the authors begin to drift from facts into political rhetoric. I feel that this is where the article loses its effectiveness.

I really liked the references in this article. They seemed well researched, considering the subject matter is one that the participants do not particularly want to talk about. America is supposed to be a melting pot, but what customs certain immigrants had in the old country and what is expected of them while living here are sometimes at medical and ethical odds with each other. I take exception to the authors on the position that intersex people are being treated with hatred by Christians, if for no other reason than it shows just as much intolerance of differences by the authors as it does of those they are accusing of the same. A true disciple of any creed should not treat a biologically imperfect person with malice, any more than he would a crippled or mentally deficient person. They should all be treated with respect, not necessarily deference.

The quote, "One cause of this attack on the reality of intersexuality is the desire by conservative Christians to delay as long as possible the recognition of gay and lesbian marriages" [5] really irritated me. Even if that were the case with some people does that mean the whole lot of them must be put in the same trashbin? This part of the article almost discouraged me from reading the rest of the good information the authors included. I found I had to keep reading through the authors’ bias in order to glean more knowledge. I would rate this article good, because of the research that went into it , but it does not get an excellent because of the very biased comments at the end.

"The Three Feminine Sorrows"

This is a very practical medical explanation of FGM. The author is a medical doctor and, because she is female, probably has a better idea of the pain and consequences of FGM than do many of her colleagues.

Dr. Fourcroy explains in plain terms what Female Genital Mutilation is, who it is done to, the procedure, complications, and future menstrual and childbearing prognoses.

She includes items to look for on the client being examined, such as "dermoid inclusions; vulvar cysts and abcesses" and emotional sequelae; ideas to help bridge the gap between a girl who has had the procedure and her family (to regain trust within the family, and encourage trust in medical providers) and teaching the client normal female anatomy. She also mentions teaching the woman how to overcome the physical trauma of the surgery.

The next pararaph describes geographic locations where this practice is becoming more commonplace. Twelve states , including California, New York...and 11 metropolitan areas are listed [2]. The last section of the article is called " Why Rites of Passage?" and tells of various tribes and cultures where initiation rites are held, but reminds us that "human rights are women’s rights. "No country is exempt from this principle; infringement of human rights includes using women as the prizes of war, bride burning, foot binding, urethrotomy, unnecessary surgery, so-called love surgery procedures, sexual assault, domestic violence, lack of choice regarding family planning, and a lack of access to health care"[3].

This article is one of the best I have seen, and I will include it on my Midwifery Homepage. The author is scholarly, yet speaks in normal terms; compassionate, yet not afraid to deal with the consequences of exposing this horrible mutilation. She is precise but not overwhelming, presenting the facts of the matter without political overtones. She explains a terrible ritual in a way that makes one want to go out to rescue all who are at risk of this deformity and to help heal those for whom it is too late.

I rate this article Excellent and hope I can encouage others to read it and become informed. After all, the first correction of any injustice is exposure to the outside world of what is being done; maybe enough pressure will come about to cause people to stop subjecting their little girls to this travesty. If God cared enough about women to put female genitalia on women so they could have pleasure, what right does a society have to take them off? Another thing- do they do Male Genital Mutilation to keep the boys pure?

Here are some links: