"Is FGM/FGC wrong because it is outside our cultural norms?"

February 4, 2020

There are millions of women throughout the world that lack reproductive rights. Reproductive rights include women having control over who they have sexual relations with and when they have these sexual relations, choosing when and how to regulate her fertility, being free of unpleasant or hazardous side effects of contraception, being able to get through pregnancy and abortions safely, and having access to education on treatment and prevention of reproductive illnesses (Burn, 2019, pg.59). There are hundreds and thousands of women dying each year because they lack their reproductive rights. This means more women are at risk everyday to catching sexual transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy, and unsafe abortions.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) also known as female genital cutting (FGC) and female genital circumcision (FC) are another reproductive health problem among women (Burn, 2019, pg.66). FGM/FGC refers to all procedure involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for cultural or other nonmusical reasons (UNFPA, 2015a). These procedures are often done with with unsterilized tools such as knives, razors, scissors, rocks, and glass. In some countries these procedures are known to make women clean and can be done to girls as young as 5 years old. Countries that do this cultural practice are sub-Saharan Africa, Iraq, Yemen, and Southeast Asia. There are multiple short-term and long-term consequences of FGM/FGC such as sever pain, hemorrhage, infection, shock, death, urinary infections, problems menstruating and enjoying sex. There are many human rights activists trying to get the practice of FGM/FGC abolished . In many countries there are a majority of people who think that FGM/FGC is morally wrong but they still do the procedure because they are afraid they will be isolated and not accepted among people in their culture.

African feminists state that Western feminists are shaming FGM/FGC because it is different from their culture and we are blind to the reasons behind why they undergo these procedures on theirselves or their daughters. African feminists do these procedures to their daughters so they can be accepted into their culture and because they love their children. African feminists also say Western feminists are quick to judge even though we undergo procedures that alter our bodies such as cosmetic breast surgery, liposuction, and a "tummy tuck" to fit into cultural beauty standards within out own country. I understand why African feminists are offended by Western feminists trying to get FGM/FGC abolished. Growing up only knowing the "benefits" of FGM/FGC it is hard to see the negative consequences. These women think FGM/FGC is normal because they have always known it to be normal just like Western feminists find our culturally practices to be normal.