# Genital mutilation of young girls. But it's a religious thing! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 23, 2017, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057 "2017-04-23T11:44:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2018, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/261 "2018-11-28T22:34:34Z")
> [@Ramira](#): > > it is not a compliment and of course you do not. Hey, you ended your sentence with a period! Baby steps. Next, how about a capital letter at the beginning? Later, we can try some punctuation in the middle (a comma, semicolon, or em dash). ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2018, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/262 "2018-11-28T23:14:10Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Yes, you and the legion like you have made it very clear that you want a nice safe space where we can all take as given that “oh, sure, male circumcision is fine, or not a big deal, but FGM is heinous”. No. Not going to concede that premise, sorry. can we use different words for different types of ritual modifications, then? Like clitoridectomy, or infibulation, both of which are heinous. There seem to be other things done that seem less heinous. (Although lying to a seven year old, then holding her down while she is cut seems pretty heinous even if it’s a cut that will completely heal with no permanent physical damage.) > [@SlackerInc](#): > > Some cursory research indicates that it is unusually rich in fibroblasts, which are the key to this medical usage. But I’m fine with not wanting to convince too many people they are so splendidly useful, because the whole thing is sick. Blalron may have said some other crazy shit, but noting the financial imperative behind continuing the supply of foreskins for commercial purposes is not one of them. Fibroblasts are (according to a quick internet search) a kind of stem cell. One that even adults have, although of course newborns have more and more active ones, being newborn and all. But the “Financial imperative” is bull hockey. Parents don’t get paid for foreskins. Neither does the person who cuts it off. And it sounds like the makers of that product have succeeded in creating a stable cell line to produce their cream, although i doesn’t look really hard into that detail. Also, that’s really a fringe product. I don’t see it catching on if only because of the “ick” factor. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2018, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/263 "2018-11-28T23:48:44Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Yes, you and the legion like you have made it very clear that you want a nice safe space where we can all take as given that “oh, sure, male circumcision is fine, or not a big deal, but FGM is heinous”. No. Not going to concede that premise, sorry. But even for those who us who **do** say we disagree with it we just don’t feel like talking about it in that particular thread, no, that’s not enough. Because male feelings. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2018, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/264 "2018-11-28T23:54:52Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > But even for those who us who **do** say we disagree with it we just don’t feel like talking about it in that particular thread, no, that’s not enough. Because male feelings. obligatory blank text AND OUR PENISES DON’T FORGET OUR PENISES THEY ARE IMPORTANT ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2018, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/265 "2018-11-28T23:59:44Z")
Keep bitching endlessly about men if you want. It’s annoying as fuck, but maybe that’s your intent. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > can we use different words for different types of ritual modifications, then? Like clitoridectomy, or infibulation, both of which are heinous. There seem to be other things done that seem less heinous. That’s fine: I have no problem with using greater precision in our terminology. I would say however that the other things may be less heinous, but they are still heinous. Cutting off healthy tissue from young children’s genitals is barbaric, regardless of the amount or location of the tissue, and regardless of their gender. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/266 "2018-11-29T00:17:57Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Hey, you ended your sentence with a period! Baby steps. Next, how about a capital letter at the beginning? > [@puzzlegal](#): > > can we use different words for different types of ritual modifications, then? well played, **puzzlegal**. i may disagree with **ramira** about various things, but i think it’s completely stupid and assholish to gratuitously needle her about slight divergences in orthography when her posts are in general perfectly comprehensible (and especially given that she’s a non-native english speaker) > [@Blalron](#): > > I’m pretty sure the feminists would be freaking out if men were using the harvested labia of little girls on their faces. Well, speaking as a lifelong feminist, what I care about is the direct harm to the children in question from removing the tissue, not the uses to which the discarded tissue is put. If a culture has decided for non-medical reasons to, say, shave children’s heads or cut off their foreskins or their labia or whatever, I don’t give a rat’s ass what they do with the by-products (as long as their use is not significantly incentivizing a harmful practice). What I want is for societies not to inflict medically unnecessary serious harms upon children in the first place. Which I think all of us are in fundamental agreement upon; now we just have to decide what harms count as “serious”. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/267 "2018-11-29T02:34:26Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > …Well, speaking as a lifelong feminist, what I care about is the direct harm to the children in question from removing the tissue, not the uses to which the discarded tissue is put. If a culture has decided for non-medical reasons to, say, shave children’s heads or cut off their foreskins or their labia or whatever, I don’t give a rat’s ass what they do with the by-products (as long as their use is not significantly incentivizing a harmful practice). > > What I want is for societies not to inflict medically unnecessary serious harms upon children in the first place. Which I think all of us are in fundamental agreement upon; now we just have to decide what harms count as “serious”. Thanks. I think we are in agreement on almost everything. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Modesty\_Blaise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Modesty\_Blaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Modesty_Blaise)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/268 "2018-11-29T15:14:30Z")
Hey, a thread about Female Genital Mutilation has morphed into being all about penises. What a surprise! :rolleyes: I’m actually sympathetic to the anti-circumcision cause. But the fact that I have to sift through so much bullshit every time there is a FGM thread is exasperating. Really, EVERY FUCKING TIME. Your shitty thread got closed so you have to shit all over this one? Assholes. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/269 "2018-11-29T15:33:27Z")
Bite me. ---
**Author:** ![Modesty\_Blaise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Modesty\_Blaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Modesty_Blaise)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/270 "2018-11-29T17:26:51Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Bite me. Bout what I’d expect. :rolleyes: You come off like whiny little shits who can’t stand to have female anything discussed without the “but, but, but what about the males” bullshit. EVERY. TIME. Blow it out your ass, fuckwad. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/271 "2018-11-29T17:35:09Z")
> [@SlackerInc](#): > > Bite me. Even your shitty insults are about your dick. Wow. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/272 "2018-11-29T22:21:45Z")
It was an invitation, not an insult. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/273 "2018-11-29T23:38:51Z")
> [@Modesty\_Blaise](#): > > Hey, a thread about Female Genital Mutilation has morphed into being all about penises. What a surprise! :rolleyes: > > I’m actually sympathetic to the anti-circumcision cause. But the fact that I have to sift through so much bullshit every time there is a FGM thread is exasperating. > > Really, EVERY FUCKING TIME. > > Your shitty thread got closed so you have to shit all over this one? > > Assholes. I want to start a new thread about this issue – FGM, since this one’s been tainted all to hell, but I’m afraid that the same thing will happen. Maybe ask the mods first? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![coffeecat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coffeecat/32/3405_2.png) [@coffeecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecat)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/274 "2018-11-30T00:04:57Z")
Your invitation is off topic. A request for **Modesty Blaise** to give you a dental penectomy belongs in a new thread in MPSIMS, or perhaps Marketplace. In the spirit of the holidays, I wish everyone a happy vulva. E.T.A. Good luck, **Guin**. ---
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/275 "2018-11-30T00:19:32Z")
Anyone who does this or allows this should have their throat cut slowly with s full, rusty knife. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/276 "2018-11-30T01:10:07Z")
LOL, dental penectomy. Not quite what I had in mind, but clever! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/277 "2018-11-30T05:24:20Z")
Why do I suspect the same hysterical ninnies bitching and moaning about “the MEN” are also the ones who are the first to insist that female birth control be attached to any consideration of Viagra? Even though Viagra and birth control are far more different than are cutting the genitals of small girls vs. cutting the genitals of small boys. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/278 "2018-11-30T10:03:56Z")
I don’t know. Maybe because you are a sexist prick? Personally, I think birth control is critical to health, and Viagra is just a nice thing to enhance life. I’d subsidize the first as a basic welfare benefit, and consider the second to be a luxury good that people can buy on there own if they want. But i understand that the rules are made by people who care a lot more about men’s erections than about unwanted babies. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/279 "2018-11-30T11:25:03Z")
I chipped in on the other thread that was closed (the one about male genital mutilation/circumcision) and quite rightly the subject of FGM was brought up there as well. I simply don’t think that either can be considered in isolation. Is the damage caused by the most common forms of FGM greater than that of MGM? yes. Of course. I don’t think that anyone on any side is claiming otherwise. If there is a priority order in which to tackle the problems then of course deal with the most harmful first, the one most easily and unequivocally harmful and damaging. However, what you cannot do is pretend that the two subject are not intrinsically linked, that the discussion of one does not take you inexorably, ultimately, into a consideration of the other. In both cases you are dealing with cultural and religious practices, inflicted on non-consenting children that manifestly change their bodies in irreversible ways. If you are arguing against any and all forms and severity of FGM under any circumstances then you are implicitly arguing against MGM as well and denying that is a hypocrisy that needs to be addressed. If you suggest that milder forms of FGM may be allowable for cultural and religious reasons then you are implicitly drawing an equivalence to MGM and using it as an example of what is permissible. Those clamoring for MGM never to be discussed in threads about FGM are not being realistic and are seeking to have that discussion in a vaccuum that it does not warrant. This is not a male v female conflict. It is about the principles of bodily autonomy of children and the barbaric practices of culture and religion that infringe on that. The mentality that inflicts this on boys and girls is precisely and exactly equivalent even though typically the outcomes are more severe for girls than boys. I suspect that people won’t be happy with what I’ve written here but I really don’t care. I start from a point of condemning all practices of this nature and have plenty of anger available and can apportion it according to the amount of harm done. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2018, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057/280 "2018-11-30T11:57:54Z")
Novelty Bobble, that should be framed! Wow. Great post. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > Personally, I think birth control is critical to health, and Viagra is just a nice thing to enhance life. I’d subsidize the first as a basic welfare benefit, and consider the second to be a luxury good that people can buy on there own if they want. But i understand that the rules are made by people who care a lot more about men’s erections than about unwanted babies. Called it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genital-mutilation-of-young-girls-but-its-a-religious-thing/785057.md?page=15)