Mirror Sites:
CSUDH - Habermas - UWP - Archives
Practice Module on This File

California State University, Dominguez Hills
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Soka University Japan - Transcend Art and Peace
Created: October 28, 2002
Latest Update: October 28, 2002
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

Female Genital Cutting (FGC)

Site Copyright: Jeanne Curran and Susan R. Takata and Individual Authors, October 2002.
"Fair use" encouraged.

I didn't order this text for any of the classes, but it touches on an issue which matters greatly to our understanding of social justice. The mention of female genital cutting in the U.S. generally provokes a response of horror. And I share that response. When the topic came up this semester with Father Ted Nelson Adjakkpeh, I was amazed at the extent to which so many of our students seemed to be knowledgeable on the topic.

This weekend I picked up a book I had bought at Vroman's a few weeks ago, but had no time to summarize, even briefly, for you. Gee, I'm glad I picked it up. Gee, I had no idea how much I didn't know about female genital cutting. I didn't know it was introduced in England to stop women from masturbating. I didn't know we have such operations in the US for intersexed persons. I didn't even know what "intersexed" was. And before you decide that those are pretty esoteric facts that many people would be likely not to know, think about the strength and certainty of our opinions of female genital cutting we tossed at Father Adjakpey.

Maybe, just maybe, this is what Maria Pia Lara is telling us when she says we need to start with illocutionary discourse.

Is a Law Unjust? One State May Allow Juries to Decide "South Dakota measure backs 'nullification' -- and would unravel the legal system, some fear." Los Angeles Times. Backup. What effect could this have on the definition of crime? How is it likely to affect death penalty law? Ho is it likely to affect law on genital cutting, on juveniles as perpetrators, on vigilantism?

Appendix 42 - Women by Michael Greger, MD and United Progressive Alumni. Link added October 28, 2002.