Circumcision?

DesignerGal · Post by **DesignerGal** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 11:16 am

Poor little baby. i hated hearing about these stories anywhere. Its so sad.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/10/27/femal ... index.html

Lulu2 · Post by **Lulu2** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 11:33 am

Give That Baby To Designergal And Subject That A##hole To The Same Thing He Did To His Little Girl!

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 11:37 am

I'm gonna catch flack for this but *whoever* does this sh*t needs to be exterminated. In any country. I'm not going to make allowances or be considerate of religious beliefs when they are plainass stupid and cruel and based in ignorance and hatred of women.

For that matter, I don't believe in male circ. either unless the male in question is old enough to want it for himself.

:mad:

guppy · Post by **guppy** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 12:03 pm

that is horrible.

i hope who ever does this gets theirs caught in a meat grinder later. it would be fitting. :-5

Lulu2 · Post by **Lulu2** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 12:19 pm

Interesting coincidence....from my email just now.

October 25 2006

BEADS for Education is pleased to announce that we support more than 2705 girls guaranteed school fees in Kenya until their education is completed. Instead of marrying as young as 13 which is Maasai tradition.

Our website http://www.beadsforeducation/ features stories of the girls and our great success with Coming of Age Ceremonies without the traditional cutting.

(Debby Rooney visiting with the sponsored girls - May 2005)

Your support will help BEADS to change girls lives - one girl at a time.

Thank you

Debby Rooney

BEADS/Cofounder

5501 Ventnor Ave

Ventnor, NJ

08406

(609) 823-7701

You can help support BEADS by shopping on our website http://www.beadsforeducation.org/ and SHOPPING with http://www.igive.com/

DesignerGal · Post by **DesignerGal** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 12:42 pm

Thanks Lulu. This has been going on for decades and centuries. Its a called a "right of passage". There are also cases where mothers and fathers are disfiguring their daughters to ward of potential rapists (which happens ALOT in Africa) and the spread of HIV. There is also a "right of passage" where the daughters have hot stones pressed to their chests so their breasts wont grow. Its painful and dangerous. oprah highlighted this story months ago.

Its absolutley disturbing and horrific.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 12:49 pm

That's cool Lulu!!

I bookmarked that site so I can get my dog a new collar and myself a bracelet!! I love this! :-4

DesignerGal · Post by **DesignerGal** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 12:51 pm

RedGlitter;442622 wrote: That's cool Lulu!!

I bookmarked that site so I can get my dog a new collar and myself a bracelet!! I love this! :-4

Im getting those for all of the women on my Christmas list. My sisters are still in grad school so they have no money. We decided a $ 10 limit would be good so thats what Im getting.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 12:54 pm

Excellent, DesignerGal!!

DesignerGal · Post by **DesignerGal** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:22 pm

I just got off the phone with Debbie Rooney. She is sending me a sponsorship package. Hooray. I need some karma points.

cherandbuster · Post by **cherandbuster** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:30 pm

DesignerGal;442648 wrote: I just got off the phone with Debbie Rooney. She is sending me a sponsorship package. Hooray. I need some karma points.

Kudos to you, DGal :-4

AussiePam · Post by **AussiePam** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:49 pm

Hacking off a girl's external genitalia is not circumcision, it's mutilation.

Lulu2 · Post by **Lulu2** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 4:06 pm

D'G....GLITTER...you've put tears on my face, thinking that you'd actually CARE about a bunch of Masai girls, half-way around the world. THANK YOU!

Perhaps, if I ever win the lottery, I'll take you all on a tour of east Africa! Then you could meet some of these beautiful people who live there.

AND...see the animals, of course!

AussiePam · Post by **AussiePam** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 4:23 pm

There's a scheme here in Australia too, Lulu, through which one can financially support doctors who perform corrective surgery on women who as a result of childbirth after mutilation are incontinent and therefore outcast. Hard to resist doing what one can to help our less fortunate sisters.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 4:43 pm

Lulu, absolutely!!

Those girls and women are my fellow humans. Plus, it's a woman thing for me. Women know each other's pain and joy, whether we have ever met or not. I support my sisters.

:-4

You're sweet, Lulu. I like your heart.

And if you ever want to take me for a spin in Africa, YOU BET I'll go!!!

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 4:44 pm

AussiePam;442824 wrote: There's a scheme here in Australia too, Lulu, through which one can financially support doctors who perform corrective surgery on women who as a result of childbirth after mutilation are incontinent and therefore outcast. Hard to resist doing what one can to help our less fortunate sisters.

Awesome, Pam.

AussiePam · Post by **AussiePam** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 7:14 pm

Warning:

The following post is nasty and unpleasant - if you're squeamish, don't read it.

------

The brochures I was given, Red, really tell it like it is. In some parts of Africa the "circumcised" women not only have their clitoris hacked off, but the external labia are scraped away and the result stitched tightly leaving only a tiny hole for menstrual blood and urine. Their husbands cut them open on their wedding night, literally. That's of course those who survive the procedure. The scarring is so severe for many that childbirth is difficult and often fatal for mother and / or child. Resulting damage includes not only leaking blood and urine, but also sometimes leaking fecal matter. The woman who was previously guaranteed pure, is now unclean and therefore outcast.

Lulu2 · Post by **Lulu2** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 7:19 pm

True! And...don't ever forget that the term "female circumcision" is just a nasty little euphemism for GENITAL MUTILATION!

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 7:23 pm

Hi Pam. I know, disgusting isn't it?

And often the atrocity is performed with broken glass. With no sterility. (which may be a blessing- would you want alcohol poured on *that?!*) Often not even sewn up but the remaining labia (or whatever flesh is left) is held together with small sticks.

Some of these unfortunate women have come to the US and given birth and then insisted our doctors sew them back up so they will still be worthy. I'm not sure if that's brainwash or fear or both. I try to tolerate stupid cultural and religious practices but sometimes just standing by is criminal. It infuriates me that a girl's own mother would permit this be done to her.

AussiePam · Post by **AussiePam** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 7:29 pm

We've had cases in Australia where parents have sent their daughters overseas to be purified, or had it done here in some nice little backroom. Being culturally sensitive is one thing. Standing by when an innocent child is abused in such a barbarous and uncivilised manner is being an accomplice in the abuse.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 7:30 pm

I was just scrubbing the web for some info and found this rubbish:

http://www.circlist.com/femalecirc/anatfemale.html

Warning: some coarse language and a diagram of female genitalia

Apparently it's not just African women who have to do this but others and some do it because they want to. Thsi is the first time I have ever heard "clitoris" and "cleanliness" used together.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 7:35 pm

Lulu2;442986 wrote: True! And...don't ever forget that the term "female circumcision" is just a nasty little euphemism for GENITAL MUTILATION!

True that, Lulu.

However to broaden the conversation a little, what about male circumcison? There has been a decades-long campaign against it and a movement of "reclaiming one's foreskin." Apparently this can be cosmetically done.

I used to be in favor of it as a matter of preference but on a human rights level, I can't abide amputating that from a screaming baby boy. Maybe I am speaking out of turn but I think soap and water would solve any "cleanliness issues" that I've heard about. Am I incorrect? And here again, we have something that is often done as a nod to religion.

ETA:

I hope this doesn't get me banned from FG but I finally have found an actual photo of female mutilation. It seems everyone was talking about it for the last ten years but no one knew what it looked like.

WARNING! This is a graphic photograph. Do not click if you might be offended. I am only adding this link because it may help change someone's mind if they see what it entails.

http://antonini.psc.br/atlas/exsicacao/ ... 2D_jpg.jpg

How can anyone explain this away as a "cultural/religious" practice?? :-1

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:32 pm

Hi Clancy...

I don't think I could have possibly said it better than you just did.

:)