Female Genital Mutilation Women have a long history of enduring painful and degrading things for the sake of propriety and societal beliefs and values. One such endurance is female genital mutilation; also known as female genital cutting or female circumcision. This is when a woman’s genitals are purposefully disfigured to adhere to certain religious, social, or personal expectations. Female circumcision involves too many factors to be looked at as a simple medical procedure. When discussing the topic the types of mutilation, the risks involved, and the reasoning behind the practice must be brought up. The mutilation is generally classified into four categories: removal of the clitoral hood and part of, or the entire, clitoris (clitoridectomy),
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The actual number of girls who die from female circumcision is not known. However, in areas in the Sudan it is estimated that one-third of the girls undergoing the process will die. Also, regions that practice female genital cutting have a higher maternal and infant mortality rate. Immediate complications of the surgery can include intense pain and hemorrhaging, anemia (caused by the hemorrhaging), infection, damage to adjoining organs, and swelling and blocking of the urethra. The long-term complications are painful or blocked menses, recurrent urinary tract infections, abscesses, dermoid cysts, keloid scars, obstructed labor (which increases the risk of infant and maternal morbidity and mortality), infertility, painful intercourse, and an increased risk for contracting HIV. Psychological issues have also been linked to female circumcision; they include anxiety, severe depression, and psychosomatic illness. “Young girls and women who undergo FGC are subjected to extreme pain, since the procedure is often conducted without anesthesia and under non-sterile conditions. When accompanied by excessive bleeding, it can even lead to death.” (Heather L Sipsma, Peggy G Chen, Angela Ofori-Atta, Ukwuoma O Ilozumba, Kapouné Karfod, and Elizabeth H Bradley
The actual number of girls who die from female circumcision is not known. However, in areas in the Sudan it is estimated that one-third of the girls undergoing the process will die. Also, regions that practice female genital cutting have a higher maternal and infant mortality rate. Immediate complications of the surgery can include intense pain and hemorrhaging, anemia (caused by the hemorrhaging), infection, damage to adjoining organs, and swelling and blocking of the urethra. The long-term complications are painful or blocked menses, recurrent urinary tract infections, abscesses, dermoid cysts, keloid scars, obstructed labor (which increases the risk of infant and maternal morbidity and mortality), infertility, painful intercourse, and an increased risk for contracting HIV. Psychological issues have also been linked to female circumcision; they include anxiety, severe depression, and psychosomatic illness. “Young girls and women who undergo FGC are subjected to extreme pain, since the procedure is often conducted without anesthesia and under non-sterile conditions. When accompanied by excessive bleeding, it can even lead to death.” (Heather L Sipsma, Peggy G Chen, Angela Ofori-Atta, Ukwuoma O Ilozumba, Kapouné Karfod, and Elizabeth H Bradley