I can't stop crying about the Kurdish girl in the Post this AM

[Anonymous]

PP here again, how do you think that little girl felt having her horror recorded by a camaraman, another adult who looked on while she was brutalized.

[Anonymous]

If we don't SEE these types of atrocities, how are we supposed to know they are going on? I point you to the PP who said he/she signed up for Amnesty International and was moved to do so by reading this article.

I feel horrible that the poor little girl had to go through such an atrocious act, but it would have been done whether the cameraman was there or not. This does not make it right by any means, but by documenting these things for the entire free world to see we are showing people in their cozy homes what life is like for a lot of the world. And just maybe it's articles like this that will push people off of their couches and into doing something about it.

[Anonymous]

maybe she herself will one day look at the pictures of her own mutilation and decide that she will not do this to her own daughter. Yes, the images are disturbing. But in a world where people tend to brush over anything that is not recorded anywhere, anything that sounds like hear-say, there almost is no other way to get the attention. And if nobody listens to the girl's story, then at least she can show people, how much agony she felt.

[Anonymous]

Here's an organization founded by a victim of FGM (female genital mutilation) with the purpose of ending FGM. Consider contributing to it or other similar organizations so we can put our collective outrage towards making a change.

http://waris-dirie-foundation.com/

Disclaimer -- I am in no way affiliated with this organization, but was so horrified by the Post article and photos that I felt I had to do more than wring my hands and weep in the comfort of my home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

And male circumcision does not affect the sexual health of a man FOREVER. Most women who are circumcised cannot have orgasms, have painful sex, etc. The act of female circumcision should in no way be compared to male circumcision. I am actually appalled that anybody would compare the two.

I understand your point, but...I can tell you that my husband is uncircumcised and I know that without a doubt, he feels way more pleasure than the circumcised men I've been with. I personally never had an opinion on it until I met him and learned more about it.

I think that we in the US need to really examine why we routinely circumcise little boys. It's almost like a given -- I never understood those jokes about being able to "tell the religion" as all of my prior partners were not Jewish and had been circ'd.

Some bold statements.

All I have to say is if what you post is true THANK GOD my DH is circ. I have to change in the bathroom, lest he be aroused by the sight of some ankle skin. I have to sleep wrapped up like a mummy so I'm not accosted in the middle of the night. He has sex on the brain all the time. You would think after 11years he would have calmed down-NOPE. We'll be in public or at a friends house or over at his mother's and he'll whisper something REALLY dirty in my ear and look down at his pants....and there it is making an appearance. If he did not get that skin removed, I think he would have had to joined the FLDS and taken on a few extra wives just to satisfy him, its hard enough when its just me.

[Anonymous]

Some bold statements.

All I have to say is if what you post is true THANK GOD my DH is circ. I have to change in the bathroom, lest he be aroused by the sight of some ankle skin. I have to sleep wrapped up like a mummy so I'm not accosted in the middle of the night. He has sex on the brain all the time. You would think after 11years he would have calmed down-NOPE. We'll be in public or at a friends house or over at his mother's and he'll whisper something REALLY dirty in my ear and look down at his pants....and there it is making an appearance. If he did not get that skin removed, I think he would have had to joined the FLDS and taken on a few extra wives just to satisfy him, its hard enough when its just me.

Although this story is far from funny, your response was great and made me laugh... especially the FLDS comment

[Anonymous]

All I have to say is if what you post is true THANK GOD my DH is circ. I have to change in the bathroom, lest he be aroused by the sight of some ankle skin. I have to sleep wrapped up like a mummy so I'm not accosted in the middle of the night. He has sex on the brain all the time. You would think after 11years he would have calmed down-NOPE. We'll be in public or at a friends house or over at his mother's and he'll whisper something REALLY dirty in my ear and look down at his pants....and there it is making an appearance. If he did not get that skin removed, I think he would have had to joined the FLDS and taken on a few extra wives just to satisfy him, its hard enough when its just me.

I don't think your comment is about circumcision at all. If you really feel this way, you may want to consider some marriage counseling - this doesn't sound like a healthy relationship at all. I'm sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP WE DO NOT DO THE SAME THING HERE. Male circumcision and female genital mutilation should not be compared AT ALL. As a PP said, if we were going to compare apples to apples it would castration of a male.

FGM is used to repress women in certain cultures, as a way to take their sexual freedom away, to take their sex drive away completely. I suggest YOU read up on what exactly is involved and then tell me that there is ANY comparison to a male circumcision. Last time I checked we weren't dragging 7 year old boys into a dirty room to have their balls cut off with very little anesthesia and a "clean" razor.

You are entitled to your research and your opinions of male circumcision, but I have yet to meet a circ'd man who complained about the feeling of his orgasms.

Okay, you seriously need to read up on some anatomy or biology or something. Removing a clitoris does not stop all hormone production. Castration - removing the testicles - does. This prevents puberty and any secondary sex characteristics (hairy bodies, deep voice, sperm production) from forming in boys. Removing a clitoris does not stop the possibility of procreation. Castration does. Testicles are not the major sensory organ for sex, a clitoris is. The clitoris is not the organ that controls sex drive. It is a sensory organ - it makes sex feel good. The testicles control sex drive because they control the making of testosterone which, among many other things, controls sex drive. These things are not in any way comparable.

Would you feel that what was done to this girl is okay if it had been done when she was a baby? Done in a hospital under sanitary conditions? Maybe done with some anesthetic? Only partially done so she retained some feeling? I wouldn't. Not for her and others like her and not for boys either.

[Anonymous]

Female Circumcision is a misnomer. It's not at all the same surgery as male circumcision - men who are circumcised still feel pleasure.

BTW- it's not really a muslim thing, it's more of a cultural thing that some muslim countries do.

[Anonymous]

I'm 14:26 - Not sure if PP is directed at my post but I thought I'd clarify anyway. I slant the other way. I think it should all be called genital mutilation - for boys or girls. I obviously feel strongly about this. I think we don't think enough about it and if parents did think hard and research what actually happens and the actual risks vs. very dubious rewards (like cleanliness? - what teenaged boy neglects his penis in the bath enough for it to never get clean?), the rates here would fall like they have in the rest of the world. (Like in Sweden where only 2% of boys are circumcised.)

[Anonymous]

Calling male circumcision genital mutiliation is inflammatory language, particularly when you are calling it the same procedure that is done to women, which it clearly is not.

[Anonymous]

Not calling it the same - only very similar. It is my opinion that both procedures unnecessarily cut off (or mutilate) an otherwise normal healthy part of the human body that actually serves a purpose. I think I've been pretty clear that my point is not to condemn parents. My point is that we need to really look at and examine what it is we are doing here, as we are looking at what is done in other places in the world.

Most parents in the U.S. who circumcise do it based on the idea that it is culturally normal and just fine. I's just what people do - they don't think much about it at all. Many do not examine what actually happens or even why it is being done (religious reasons excepted.) They don't want to think about it too much. Very few are present to see what actually happens. If more parents saw what really happens and/or thoroughly researched it, how unnecessary it is and the risks involved, fewer would do it. That doesn't mean that those that do circumcise don't care about their kids or are knowingly harming them. It means that they don't know, in my opinion, enough about it. It may indeed inflame people, which is not my intention, but it IS my strongly held opinion.

[Anonymous]

to 14:26: here is a brief synopsis of some of the medical risks associated with FGM, included in this list are reproductive problems. YES, reproductive due to infection of the area. Maybe YOU need to read up on biology and recognize that a woman's clitoris is as much a part of a HEALTHY sex life as a man's penis is. Without a clit many women are unable to achieve orgasm. Can we say the same for men who are circumcised???

Other serious long term health effects are also common. These include urinary and reproductive tract infections, caused by obstructed flow of urine and menstrual blood, various forms of scarring and infertility. Epidermal inclusion cysts may form and expand, particularly in procedure affecting the clitoris. These cysts can grow over time and can become infected, requiring medical attention such as drainage.[68] The first time having sexual intercourse will often be extremely painful, and infibulated women will need the labia majora to be opened, to allow their partner access to the vagina. This second cut, sometimes performed by the partner with a knife, can cause other complications to arise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:to 14:26: here is a brief synopsis of some of the medical risks associated with FGM, included in this list are reproductive problems. YES, reproductive due to infection of the area. Maybe YOU need to read up on biology and recognize that a woman's clitoris is as much a part of a HEALTHY sex life as a man's penis is. Without a clit many women are unable to achieve orgasm. Can we say the same for men who are circumcised???

Other serious long term health effects are also common. These include urinary and reproductive tract infections, caused by obstructed flow of urine and menstrual blood, various forms of scarring and infertility. Epidermal inclusion cysts may form and expand, particularly in procedure affecting the clitoris. These cysts can grow over time and can become infected, requiring medical attention such as drainage.[68] The first time having sexual intercourse will often be extremely painful, and infibulated women will need the labia majora to be opened, to allow their partner access to the vagina. This second cut, sometimes performed by the partner with a knife, can cause other complications to arise.

ignore her, she is ignorant. Don't argue with fools.

MANY women (myself included) need to the clit to orgasm. My DH orgasms just fine, multiple times in an evening, if we're feeling crazy without his foreskin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:to 14:26: here is a brief synopsis of some of the medical risks associated with FGM, included in this list are reproductive problems. YES, reproductive due to infection of the area. Maybe YOU need to read up on biology and recognize that a woman's clitoris is as much a part of a HEALTHY sex life as a man's penis is. Without a clit many women are unable to achieve orgasm. Can we say the same for men who are circumcised???

Other serious long term health effects are also common. These include urinary and reproductive tract infections, caused by obstructed flow of urine and menstrual blood, various forms of scarring and infertility. Epidermal inclusion cysts may form and expand, particularly in procedure affecting the clitoris. These cysts can grow over time and can become infected, requiring medical attention such as drainage.[68] The first time having sexual intercourse will often be extremely painful, and infibulated women will need the labia majora to be opened, to allow their partner access to the vagina. This second cut, sometimes performed by the partner with a knife, can cause other complications to arise.

All I can say to you is reread my posts. I haven't ever diminished the negative, horrible outcomes of this brutal custom. I'm not sure why you keep repeating these effects to me. What are you trying to say to me? It isn't clear to me from what you're writing. There can be terrible outcomes for both males and females. Boys penises have been destroyed, cut in half, cut off, damaged in many ways. Not the usual outcome, but they have happened and are documented risks. Yes, these things are horrible no matter who they happen to. What happened to that girl and happens to many others is atrocious. That doesn't mean that what happens to others isn't bad or wrong because what happened to this girl was SO vicious and disgusting. Yes, these things are beyond horrible no matter who they happen to. What do you think I'm disagreeing with here?