Female Circumcision

Chelsea Barr

GWS 220

April 20, 2012

Female Circumcision

Female circumcision is widely debated around the world. Other terms for this procedure are female genital cutting or female genital mutilation, both of which are used when describing the wrongness of it. Many people believe female circumcision is unethical. However, those who practice the procedure, especially those who perform it, believe it is necessary and have reasons for doing so. In this paper, I will present research that evaluates both sides of this issue. Ultimately, my review of this research has led me to believe it is justified in some cultures.

The procedure of female circumcision involves the “cutting and removal of tissues of genitalia of young girls to conform to social expectations” (Gruenbaum 2). Female circumcision is a procedure done on girls, usually between four and eight years old. Locations of prevalent female circumcisions vary. The following are regions where the procedure is most common: Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The procedure varies in degree of tissue removed, which also varies depending on location.

 Female circumcision has four primary methods each with varying outcomes. The simplest of these procedures includes stretching or pricking the clitoris, not removing any tissue. The most complex method is called “pharaonic” circumcision. This includes the “removal of all the external genitalia- prepuce, clitoris, labia minora, and all or part of the labia majora” (Gruenbaum 3). After the “pharaonic” circumcision, the wound must be infibulated or sewn closed. During the healing of this wound, a tiny cylindrical object is put in place to maintain an exit for urination and menstruation. A clitoridectomy is the procedure of removing the prepuce, clitoris, and some of the labia minora. In the “Ritual of Meaning,” Gruenbaum describes the process of one particular event of circumcision that she witnessed. A midwife was present and ensured that the procedure was sterile. She sterilized the tools in boiling water and washed her hands. Women of the community assisted by holding the girl still as the midwife worked. The girl’s genitalia was injected in various spots with anesthesia. A razor blade was used to make the incisions that cut off the clitoris and the labia minora. The only pain felt was the injection of medicine to numb the area. The midwife used gauze to reduce any bleeding and sewed the genitalia closed very tightly. The incision site was washed and antibiotics were administered. After the procedure, community members congratulated the girl. These operations are performed as rites of passage, thus celebrated throughout the community. Unfortunately, according to Bishop, it is rare that anesthetics are available and usually the procedure is very painful. After childbirth, many women who had infibulations get reinfibulated. Reifibulations are necessary for the women to be accepted by their husbands who “can be very generous with gifts of gold or other precious things when the tightness of the opening”… is “to their liking” (Gruenbaum 140). Also, “Keeping a husband as happy as possible with frequent reproduction and tight reinfibulation can help to prevent or delay the husband’s becoming polygynous” (Gruenbaum 175).

According to Scott Carlson (106-110), 98% of Somalia’s females are circumcised. The most common form of female circumcision in Somalia is “pharaonic.” The population in Somalia is 9,330,872 with 50% of them female (The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World). Thus, roughly 4,572,127.3 Somali females are circumcised. In Egypt, 97% of the females are circumcised. Here, procedures such as clitoridectomies, excisions, and “pharaonic” circumcisions are practiced. The population of Egypt is 81,121,077, with 49% of the population being female (The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World). Thus, 38,556,848 Egyptian females are circumcised. The majority of female circumcisions in Sudan are “pharaonic” and some excisions. In Sudan, 89% of females are circumcised. The population of Sudan is 43,551,941 and 50% are female (The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World). Roughly 19,380,613 Sudanese females are circumcised.

Many people think the female circumcision is unnecessary and cruel. It is natural to wonder why a parent would have their child put through this experience, however my research shows there are reasons for doing so. According to Ellen Gruenbaum, the different reasons for the existence of female circumcision tend to revolve around rites of passage and gender identity (48). Cultures have many reasons for practicing female circumcision. According to Dustin, Donna, and Liz Davies, “The status, security and the economic prosperity of a woman may depend on whether she is married, which may well be dependant on whether she has been cut.” A survey in Sudan discovered some reasons for female circumcision, and also found that the reasons differed between men and women. “The majority of men said it was because of ‘religious demand’”…”The most frequent reason women gave was that it was a ‘good tradition’” (Gruenbaum 49). Another reason given for female circumcision is that it increases a husband’s sexual pleasure. In Somalia, the reasons for female circumcision were slightly different. The most common reason was for religious purposes, and the next common was to guarantee virginity at the time of marriage. “Popular lore has it that women who are not circumcised will not be as attractive to men and an uncircumcised woman will not be marriageable” (Bishop). Other explanations for female circumcision are that the female genitals are unhygienic and circumcising purifies the woman. According to The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World, “In some cultures female genitalia are considered unclean, and the ritual of circumcision is thought to smooth and purify girls’ bodies” (Seager 54). Many believe that circumcision is what makes a girl into a woman and it is a fundamental step in developing her identity. There is also an idea that circumcision makes a female more fertile, although it has not been proven true.

Many people believe the process of female circumcision to be beyond unnecessary, and that it is mutilation of the genitalia. The procedure has no physical benefits and can be traumatic. People who believe female circumcision to be mutilation reason that it “impairs women’s health and restricts their ability to enjoy a healthy sexual life” (Rahlenbeck and Mekonnen). Certainly during and after female circumcision the woman is at risk of complications. The procedure causes the woman to bleed a lot. “In addition, infections, including serious urinary and vaginal infections, around the time of the procedure and shortly after are common,”… “There is a higher risk of urinary retention, urinary tract infections, and vaginal and pelvic infections” (Bishop). According to the World Health Organization, “The practice causes severe pain and has several immediate and long-term health consequences, including difficulties in childbirth also causing dangers to the child.”

In Western culture, female circumcision as not humane, yet breast implants and labiaplasty is largely accepted. Cosmetic procedures performed on the vagina are called female genital cosmetic surgery (FGCS). According to Virginia Braun, “FGCS covers a range of procedures that aim to change aesthetic (or functional) aspects of women’s genitalia but that are not medically indicated” (1393). The possible procedures a woman can have done include: reduction of the labia minora, vaginal tightening, pubic liposuction, clitoral hood reduction, hymen reconstruction, g-spot amplification, and more. In the 1990’s a law in Australia was passed that would incriminate those who participated in “female genital mutilation” (WHO). It seems ironic that an “anti-FGM legislation is not (and has never been) used against those who perform (or aid and abet the practice of) so-called cosmetic genital procedures such as labiaplasty, the reduction or removal of the clitoral hood, vaginal tightening, and so on- practices that are becoming increasingly popular in consumer-driven cultures such as Australia in which the body has become the commodity par excellence” (Sullivan 403).

Some organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices, Organization of African Unity, and UNICEF are raising awareness to try to end female circumcision. The World Health Organizations refers to female circumcision as purposefully injuring a woman without any benefits for her. Other activists against female circumcision are National Commission on Violence Against Women. According to WHO, “Increasing numbers of women and men from practicing groups have declared support for discontinuing the practice and, in several countries the prevalence of FGM has decreased significantly.” The methods for decreasing female circumcisions involve “education, finance, justice, social and women’s affairs as well as the health sector and from many levels. Actors from community groups and nongovernmental organizations need to been engaged, including health professional groups, human rights groups and international agencies” (WHO). Certain laws that are created to protect the rights of women and children are also expected to reduce the prevalence of female circumcision.

In conclusion, the topic of female circumcision is widely debated. Those cultures in which it is practiced have many reasons for doing so. Though it is difficult to understand the justifications from a Western perspective, it is important to respect the cultural implications while educating about the health risks that come with the procedure.

Works Cited

"An update on WHO’s work on female genital mutilation (FGM)." World Health Organization, 2011. Web. 16 Apr 2012. <http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2011/WHO_RHR_11.18_eng.pdf>

Bishop, Jeffrey P. "Modern Liberalism, Female Circumcision, And The Rationality Of Traditions." Journal Of Medicine & Philosophy 29.4 (2004): 473-497. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Apr. 2012.

Braun, Virginia. "Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery: A Critical Review Of Current Knowledge And Contemporary Debates." Journal Of Women's Health (15409996) 19.7 (2010): 1393-1407. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Apr. 2012.

Carlson, Scott A. Female Circumcision: What Health Educators and Health Care Professionals Need to Know. 2006. Print.

Dustin, Donna, and Liz Davies. "Female Genital Cutting And Children's Rights: Implications For Social Work Practice." Child Care In Practice 13.1 (2007): 3-16. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Apr. 2012.

Gruenbaum, Ellen. The Female Circumcision Controversy. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. 2001. Print.

James, Stanlie M., and Claire C. Robertson. Genital Cutting and Transnational Sisterhood. Chicago: University of Illinois Press. 2002. Print.

Rahlenbeck, Sibylle I., and Wubegzier Mekonnen. "Growing Rejection Of Female Genital Cutting Among Women Of Reproductive Age In Amhara, Ethiopia." Culture, Health & Sexuality 11.4 (2009): 443-452. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Apr. 2012.

Seager, Joni. The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World. 3rd. New York: Penguin Books, 2003. Print.

Sullivan, Nikki. "The Price To Pay For Our Common Good": Genital Modification And The Somatechnologies Of Cultural (In)Difference." Social Semiotics 17.3 (2007): 395-409. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Apr. 2012.