Basically, FGC is on the decline through intensive education efforts. One traditional circumsizer saw the light when the local imam told her FGC is against Islam and that she owes 80 camels (or, in lieu of camels, a personal apology) to every woman she cut.<br><br>
BTW, registration is no big deal at the NYT - free, etc. - and I think it's worth it because they put everything in the paper online for free.<br><br>
Here's my letter to the editor (150 word limit, btw)<br><br>
To the Editor: (
[email protected])<br><br>
Re: “Genital Cutting Showing Signs of Losing Favor in Africa,” June 8, 2004<br><br>
It is heartening to read that the tide is turning against female genital cutting in Africa. When will male genital cutting show similar signs of losing favor in this country? More than one million newborn boys are circumcised each year, most for cosmetic reasons – “to look like Daddy.” Three-quarters receive no pain relief as the most sensitive part of their anatomy is sliced away. Circumcision destroys half of the nerve endings of the penis. Circumcised adults lack 15 square inches of erogenous tissue.<br><br>
Medical science has yet to find a valid reason for routine infant circumcision (RIC). The most commonly performed surgery today, RIC is a cultural artifact of the anti-masturbation hysteria of the nineteenth century. In condemning human rights violations in other cultures, we should not turn a blind eye to those in our own. Genital integrity is a fundamental human right for all, men as well as women.<br><br>
Signed, Me<br>
Advisory Board, <a href="http://www.notjustskin.org" target="_blank">www.notjustskin.org</a>
