Comments on: Letting ‘Desert Flowers’ Bloom – RANZCOG Does NOT Support Female Genital Mutilation

By: “primum non nocere” « For I Have Tasted the Fruit

“primum non nocere” « For I Have Tasted the Fruit — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 10:48:29 +0000

[...] any form of female genital mutilation. It appears that I was wrong. This news is thanks to PodBlack Cat who also has several other interesting things to say on the subject. [...]

By: Clare Gryphon

Clare Gryphon — Sun, 30 May 2010 09:19:47 +0000

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

By: Slosh

Slosh — Sat, 29 May 2010 00:09:04 +0000

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.

By: Slosh

Slosh — Fri, 28 May 2010 23:56:47 +0000

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.

By: Ausduck

Ausduck — Fri, 28 May 2010 23:01:11 +0000

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.

By: Heidi Anderson

Heidi Anderson — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:22:29 +0000

I put an excerpt to this on SheThought! Good article!

By: podblack

podblack — Fri, 28 May 2010 12:21:54 +0000

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

By: Kel

Kel — Fri, 28 May 2010 12:19:37 +0000

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?

By: paladinsmeg

paladinsmeg — Fri, 28 May 2010 11:54:09 +0000

Holy crap you’ve been pharyngulated!
http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/05/a_retraction_from_the_american.php

By: paladinsmeg

paladinsmeg — Fri, 28 May 2010 11:52:47 +0000

Thanks for the timely and informative post!

By: Rickymjam

Rickymjam — Fri, 28 May 2010 11:12:33 +0000

Thanks for the post Kylie. Note to self, don’t believe everything you read in the bloody newspaper.

By: Sean the Blogonaut

Sean the Blogonaut — Fri, 28 May 2010 10:54:02 +0000

Thanks for posting this. Its saved me from making a long forthright post. Informative as ever Kylie and I can second Hirsi’s book.

By: ANZ Obstetricians to back female ritualistic mutilation. « Bastard Sheep

ANZ Obstetricians to back female ritualistic mutilation. « Bastard Sheep — Fri, 28 May 2010 09:21:06 +0000

[...] Thanks to Podblack we have word that this is not true. It’s typical bad reporting stating the opposite of the truth, all stemming from one poor misquote. [...]