Female genital mutilation 'offered by UK medics'

[alp227]

As many as 100,000 women in Britain have undergone female genital mutilations (FGM) with medics in the UK offering to carry out the illegal procedure on girls as young as 10, it has been reported.

Investigators from the Sunday Times said they had secretly filmed a doctor, dentist and alternative medicine practitioner who were allegedly willing to perform FGM or arrange for the operation to be carried out. The doctor and dentist deny any wrongdoing.

The practice, which involves the surgical removal of external genitalia and in some cases the stitching of the vaginal opening, is illegal in Britain and carries up to a 14-year prison sentence. It is also against the law to arrange FGM.

The procedure is widespread across parts of Africa. Victims are rarely given anaesthetic and frequently suffer long-term damage and pain.

full: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/22/female-genital-mutilation-uk-medics

If families insist on practicing FGM, why are they living in developed, medically enlightened countries like the UK?

[47of74]

1. Why isn't it punishable by life imprisonment with no possibility of parole?

That's the only way you'll scare these medics off.

[ZombieHorde]

3. Not if they are doing it for religious reasons.

Religion trumps logic. Otherwise, no one would believe in virgin births and flying men.

[freshwest]

2. No trials yet? What's up with that?

[LeftyMom]

4. Children don't vote, religious fanatics do.

[freshwest]

7. The law's in place, no matter what they vote. They don't vote for LEOs and courts.

[LeftyMom]

8. A law being in place doesn't ensure violations will be investigated and vigorously prosecuted,

especially if doing so would piss off a vocal minority with some political clout.

[ZombieHorde]

5. This is extremely disturbing to me.

Why can't we just leave babies' genitals alone? Every other person seems to want to cut them up, as if God or nature made some big mistake on our crotches.

[badtoworse]

6. This is atrocious in any country

The fact that it's evidently tolerated in the UK is beyond belief.

[intaglio]

11. It is not tolerated

If a doctor or dentist is practising it then it is automatic striking off the Medical Register in addition to long term imprisonment. BUT proof in court is needed.

If these idiots are doing it they will claim religious belief as a mitigating factor but the real reason is they are doing it for easy money.

[Quantess]

13. It is not tolerated in europe!

The parents (most of them African immigrants) go ahead and have their little girls' genitals cut up anyway. It happens wherever there are African immigrants.

[Marrah_G]

10. WTF?

Those doctors need to be in jail and the parents need to be in jail.

[Warren DeMontague]

12. Some people here think that things like cheesecake filled pancakes should be illegal

But the practice of FGM deserves "cultural respect" "understanding" and "tolerance".