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Letter: It's mutilation

Published 25 April 2007

From Eleanor Roberts

I was angry, shocked and deeply saddened that you called the barbaric practice of cutting out a woman’s clitoris and, often, inner labia “circumcision” (14 April, p 7).

It has long been clear that this, along with a number of similar heinous practices, is female genital mutilation – more akin to castrating a boy (while fully awake) than circumcising him. Use of the term “circumcision” is one of the reasons why this practice has only just been outlawed in Eritrea and is still legal, or simply ignored, in other countries. Please follow the World Health Organization and call it what it is.

San Diego, California, US

Issue no. 2601 published 28 April 2007

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