6/27/17 – Female Genital Mutilation

Cracking down on a gruesome medical procedure has met opposition fueled by political correctness.

Here’s what’s happening behind the headlines.

According to the Centers for Disease Control estimates, more than half a million young women and girls living in the U.S. are at risk of female genital mutilation.

The procedure is practiced in many African and Middle Eastern countries.  Globally, 3 million young girls have the procedure forced on them each year.  Refugees have imported the practice to the U.S.

Earlier this year, it was learned two Minnesota families took their 7-year old daughters to a Michigan doctor to perform the procedure.

This past spring legislators in Minnesota crafted a bill aimed at eliminating the practice in that state.  Minnesota has a large Somali population.  The bill included education and outreach efforts and increased penalties.

The proposed legislation sailed through the Minnesota House but met fierce opposition in the Senate.

Several immigrant groups opposed the legislation.  They argued the bill was too punitive and it was offensive to some immigrant communities.  Others argued it was unfair to single-out certain cultural practices and equated female genital mutilation to parents spanking their children.

The bill died in the Minnesota Senate.

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