Female Circumcision Argumentative Essay

Is it a human rights violation, or is it a matter of culture? Despite the fact that female circumcision dates back centuries, the topic stepping forward as an important ethical debate in the national arena did not happen until recently. Female circumcision can be defined as the removal of a portion, or all of, the external female genitalia, specifically the clitoris. In the Americas, the law deems the procedure illegal. It is viewed as unnecessary, wrong, and cruel, but for many African cultures the procedure is deeply rooted in the nations’ cultures and traditions as a rite of passage into adulthood. All sides call the issue black and white, but what if the tradition of female circumcision, also known as female genital mutilation, falls in an unseen area of gray? Can both be correct? Female circumcision can be looked at from several angles, including: its health and medical outcomes, its relation to …show more content…
Female genital mutilation not only poses no health benefits for women, but the procedure can also cause serious complications. Genital mutilation comes in several forms, the least invasive being a clitoridectomy, or the removal of the entire or a portion of the clitoris. According to the William and Mary Journal of Women and the Law, in extreme cases, “the entire clitoris, [and] both the inner and outer lips of the labia” are removed while stitching “together the two sides of the vulva, leaving a small opening for the woman to urinate and menstruate” (Mitchum 591). Cindy Little, a PhD in nursing and a developer of obstetric and gynecological curriculum further explains that midwives usually perform the surgery with no anesthesia and in unsanitary conditions,