I was sent a link earlier today to a news article, which claimed the following: Australian doctors are considering a controversial form of genital mutilation on baby girls – News.com:
The practice involving cutting a girl’s genitals, sometimes with razors or pieces of glass, could be allowed in a clinical setting to stem illegal backyard procedures which are leaving young girls scarred for life.
The Royal Australian New Zealand College of Obstetricians (RANZCOG) will next month discuss backing “ritual nicks”, a modified form of genital mutilation.
However – a little further research uncovered the following – that it’s not so: Doctors don’t support ‘ritual nicking’ – The West Newspaper:
The college for Australia’s obstetricians and gynecologists says it does not support the “ritual nicking” of young Muslim girls and anyone suspected of performing such genital mutilation should be reported to authorities.
Dr Ted Weaver, president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RANZCOG), said media reports suggesting the college would review its policy were the result of a misquote. He said the issue was likely to be discussed at a meeting next month, triggered by recent announcements made by the American Academy of Pediatrics, but a policy shift was not on the agenda.
“The college does not support – does not – support female genital mutilation, full-stop,” Dr Weaver told AAP on Friday. “This ritual nicking, as it has been called, has been put forward as a way of satisfying cultural sensitivities without making a lot of difference to a woman’s genitalia but we do not support that either.”
In addition, in the US, ‘Pediatricians now reject all female genital cutting: (CNN) -
The American Academy of Pediatrics has rescinded a controversial policy statement raising the idea that doctors in some communities should be able to substitute demands for female genital cutting with a harmless clitoral “pricking” procedure.
“We retracted the policy because it is important that the world health community understands the AAP is totally opposed to all forms of female genital cutting, both here in the U.S. and anywhere else in the world,” said AAP President Judith S. Palfrey.
The contentious policy statement, issued in April, had condemned the practice of female genital cutting overall. But a small portion of statement suggesting the pricking procedure riled U.S. advocacy groups and survivors of female genital cutting.
Read about the pressures of female genital cutting in the U.S.
This topic is of interest to me, not only because I’m intrigued by reproductive rights and sexuality myths in general (you can hear an interview with Dr Petra Boynton on the Skeptic Zone podcast #78, and there’ll hopefully be a transcript available for you to read very soon).
It’s also because I’ve taught for a few years now to my Year 11 English students, Waris Diries’ book Desert Flower.
It’s the autobiography of a Somalian nomad who was circumcised at three, sold in marriage at thirteen, fled from Africa to later become a supermodel. At the age of 38, she is a UN spokeswoman against female genital mutilation (FGM).
It was filmed last year as ‘Desert Flower’ and premiered at the Venice Film Festival:
Of course, people may already be familiar with the works of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, such as ‘The Caged Virgin’ and ‘Infidel’, but if you are looking for another very accessible text that straight-forwardly discusses the impact it has on a young woman, I’d suggest that one for the late-teens-and-above readers.
In the meantime, you may also like to send in a congratulatory note to the ‘RANZCOG’ website for standing firm against female genital mutilation.
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Thanks for posting this. Its saved me from making a long forthright post. Informative as ever Kylie and I can second Hirsi’s book.
Thanks for the post Kylie. Note to self, don’t believe everything you read in the bloody newspaper.
Thanks for the timely and informative post!
Holy crap you’ve been pharyngulated!
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/05/a_retraction_from_the_american.php
Wish I had seen this before I made a reactionary post. It’s a shame that this story was presented on the ABC, when they go sensationalist where can we go for real news?
Oh! I wonder if he remembers me tormenting him with Vegemite at the Atheist Convention… Dawkins had no worries. He, on the other hand, looked like he was watching a puppy being kicked with every bite. :p
I put an excerpt to this on SheThought! Good article!
Having listened to ABC News radio in the car on a lengthy work-trip yesterday this story was certainly in the top five all day, and in the order of “RANZCOG considering allowing the ‘ritual nick’ procedure in order to prevent families taking their daughters overseas for the whole procedure/ having the procedure performed illegally in less than optimal conditions” There was commentary from respected ethicists and female rights groups. But no comment from the College, which I thought unusual.
This is much clearer now, I am glad that it was a ‘misquote’. Just goes to show what the media will run with, but it would have been better for the College, IMO, if they had stepped in a little earlier to clear it all up.
Been listening to the Skeptic Zone for some time, big fan. Now watch as I dig myself a sizable hole.
I’m pleased that you actually got to the bottom of it however I am disappointed by the knee jerk reactions that have happened a number of the blogs I skim through. I mean at present based on what I read a few weeks ago it seemed there really wasn’t any data, let alone any to support this decision, but let’s hypothesise that there was. Firstly from my reading of the AAPs paper I am not understanding how people reached the conclusion that the AAP was endorsing FGM, since they seemed to be saying ‘try your best to talk people out of it and only if it’s clear that they’re going to go through with it anyway then we are going to untie the doctor’s hands and provide the better of the two choices’ (althoug I wasn’t clear how much it said the doctor had to do it and how much it was up to each individual doctor). There seems to be a certain amount of whatever the bias is when you think more people agree with you than actually do. One of the sites I read surveyed Egyptian Muslim women and 85% of them didn’t want the practice stopped (yeah I know online polls, this is also a hazy memory), this presumably isn’t just some silly myth to them but a fact. Further when immigrants come to a new country in my experience they tend to hang out with othe immigrants of their own population. When they come arrive and have this law stuck in their faces I honestly have trouble buying that they’ll think maybe they should reconsider their position – not being able to reason someone out of a position they weren’t reasoned into in the first place and all that. Further as someone who smoked a lot of pot in high school i can tell you that making something illegal doesn’t necessarily stop it happening and it’s the stopping it happening that should be the real aim. Whether it be by making it illegal, or by meeting the population half way and educating them as to the harm. If anything it would allow a better grasp on how common it was. As I said at the beginning of this post I don’t think there’s presently enough data to support the change and so keeping it illegal would seem to be the best option, however I think it’s also important to consider other options even if they seem to go against what we feel is right. Just my 5c. 
My bad, you posted on the blog I said something very similar on so you’ve already seen the above POV. Upto you if you keep it or not.
LOL in your face couriermail and all the other Murdoch papers.
I read it and figured there was something up so I had to look into it.
Big giveaway was the news paper didn’t state what the policies where or even mention the AMA in Australia.
I wonder if it was more linked to creating racial intollerance even more if people felt that our Dr’s had to change their minds and policies to allow something like this to occur.
The UK had a rumour going around that it is illegal to fly a flag on St George day and they are blaming Muslims.
Of course it was the Sun who reported this and that of course is a Murdoch newspaper. Mr R Dawkins is no fan of them no idea why hehe
your a true Skeptic Kylie
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