New legislation signed into law by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday makes female genital mutilation a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. The laws apply both to doctors who conduct the procedure and parents who transport a child to undergo it. "Those who commit these horrendous crimes should be held accountable for their actions, and these bills stiffen the penalties for offenders while providing additional support to victims," Gov. Snyder said in a statement. "This legislation is an important step toward eliminating this despicable practice in Michigan while empowering victims to find healing and justice."
The governor also signed a bill allowing for a health professional's license or registration to be revoked if he or she is convicted of female genital mutilation.
Michigan is the 26th state to ban the practice; the state laws go into effect in October. The practice was banned in the United States in 1996, but Michigan's laws impose harsher penalties than the federal law. The package of bills comes amid the federal criminal trial of an emergency room doctor in Michigan, Jumana Nagarwala, charged with performing the procedure on multiple girls at a clinic in suburban Detroit. The Department of Justice says it believes the case is the first to be brought under the federal law. Another doctor and his wife are also charged in the case, the AP reports.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Friday July 14 2017, @08:20PM (5 children)
Take it up with your parents. But don't try to force your own bitterness on others. Heinlein had it right, IMHO:
Where exactly did I say that? Look long and hard. Nope. You can't find it, because I never said anything close to that.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 14 2017, @09:05PM (4 children)
Whether someone later turns out to be okay with their mutilation genitals or not is inconsequential; their human rights were still violated, since it was done without consent.
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by NotSanguine on Friday July 14 2017, @09:23PM (3 children)
Absolutely. And so the whiny little bitch complaining about it should, as I pointed out, take it up with the people who did it. That would be his parents. Anything else is just gratuitous bullshit.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 4, Informative) by takyon on Friday July 14 2017, @09:58PM (1 child)
Nobody is impressed with your so-called benefits, allegations of misogyny, and excuses for routine human rights violations. I'm not sure if you're malfunctioning or just heated. Hopefully the latter.
Male genital mutilation has nothing to do with female genital mutilation? If only there was some sort of relationship between the clitoris and the penis...
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Informative) by NotSanguine on Friday July 14 2017, @11:15PM
I'm not going to argue the point with you Takyon.
Don't like circumcision? Don't do it.
Don't like cutting off the clitoris? Don't do it.
But the former is like clipping your cat's nails, the latter is like declawing (which, if you don't know, is cutting off their "fingers" at the first knuckle) the cat. The differences are striking and broad.
The two are not comparable. Those are facts. What you do with them is up to you.
If you disagree, fine. I have no interest in forcing anything on anyone.
That said, I have no interest in hearing about kittens with their nails clipped claiming it's the same as being declawed. It ain't.
If they don't like it, they should sue their parents.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 14 2017, @11:11PM
Well, maybe he should have a discussion with his parents, but that should not be all. Since there needs to be a ban on non-consensual genital mutilation, he should probably also contact legislators and try to inform other people about the issue.