Judging the Other: Responding to Traditional Female Genital Surgeries

Western feminists, physicians, and ethicists condemn the traditional surgeries performed on women in some non-Western cultures. But coming moral judgment is not the end of the story; we must also decide what to do our judgments. We must learn to work respectfully with, not of, local resources for cultural self-examination and. . . . Perhaps the most important rationale for female circumcision is that it is such an ancient and commonly practiced tradition, reduced or genitals are simply considered normal. . . . Some parents explained now that the husbands become migrant laborers for years-long periods circumcision is a protection against dishonor, since it is believed to women's sexual needs. . . . Many feminists from Egypt and Sudan noted that, their point of view, women in Europe and North America face serious as well, and they were critical of Western feminists' failure link female circumcision with violence against women, child prostitution, enlargement surgery, and rape. . . . When Western authors call for the to be eradicated in Africa or Asia it is too often perceived by of the involved societies as cultural imperialism.