The Problem of Female Genital Cutting: Bridging Secular and Islamic Bioethical Perspectives

Defending an inclusive right to genital and bodily integrity for children

“…The idea of the child's right to bodily integrity has increasingly been defended in bioethical, philosophical, and legal scholarship [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. Some authors argue in favour of the child's right to genital integrity grounded in the value of genital and sexual autonomy for all individuals [6][7][8].…”

“…Defenders of this position characterise it as a 'harm reduction' approach, the idea being that permitting these relatively minor forms would dissuade community members from continuing more intrusive forms of FGC that carry a greater risk of resulting in lasting complications ( [2]: p. 290). This position takes seriously the fact that some forms of FGC are more materially harmful than others, and that grouping all non-Western types under the provocative and demonising title 'Female Genital Mutilation', as is standard in Western law and policy, obscures these material differences [7,8,[18][19][20].…”

“…This position takes seriously the fact that some forms of FGC are more materially harmful than others, and that grouping all non-Western types under the provocative and demonising title 'Female Genital Mutilation', as is standard in Western law and policy, obscures these material differences [7,8,[18][19][20]. In recent work, Duivenbode and Padela consider the question from a Muslim religious perspective, arguing that rather than 'decoupling' FGC from Islam, as is common for opponents of the practice, it would be beneficial to take guidance from Islamic ethical teachings that favour harm reduction [2]. The authors argue that, despite protestations to the contrary, there is a meaningful historico-religious association between Islam and FGC in many communities that should be acknowledged, rather than avoided, by people engaged in the debate ( [2]: p. 290).…”

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At the time of writing in mid-2021, policy on child genital cutting and modification is inconsistent in the UK, US, and most European states, and there is growing consensus that this inconsistency should end [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. The question addressed here, is whether Western liberal democracies ought to discourage, if not legally prohibit, all forms of medically unnecessary child genital cutting and modification, or permit some relatively minor forms.

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Coercion

“…There are communities in which female genital mutilation is being practiced and most of the girls in these communities grow to believe that this practice is essential for their integration as women in their communities (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2010;Duivenbode & Padela, 2019;Creighton & Liao, 2019). Be-cause this cultural norm is backed by the elder women who lead by example, most girls do not object to the practice and accept it as is, as part of their growing up (Cenry Smith, 1992;Mathews, 2011).…”