Male and female circumcision: Difference between revisions

| "It's only a little piece of skin. The baby does not feel any pain because his nervous system is not developed yet."

The WHO's definition of Type II FGM is "partial or total removal of the [[clitoris]] and the [[labia minora]], with or without [[excision]] of the labia majora. When it is important to distinguish between the major variations that have been documented, the following subdivisions are proposed: Type IIa, removal of the labia minora only; Type IIb, partial or total removal of the [[clitoris]] and the labia minora; Type IIc, partial or total removal of the [[clitoris]], the labia minora and the labia majora.<ref name="WHO - Terminology">{{REFweb

The WHO defines Type III FGM as narrowing of the vaginal orifice with creation of a covering seal by cutting and repositioning the labia minora and/or the labia majora, with or without [[excision]] of the [[clitoris]] ([[infibulation]])."<!-- <ref name="WHO-2006-10-02"/> --> It is the most extensive form of FGM, and accounts for about 10% of all FGM procedures described from Africa.<ref>{{REFweb

Two factors make the difference between a mutilation and surgical procedure; medical necessity and/or informed consent. If there is no medical necessity, a procedure is still valid and acceptable if the recipient gives his or her full consent. This must happen in elective cosmetic surgery for example. When there is a medical necessity, but the patient is a minor, this decision must be left up to the minor's parents or guardians. The controversy in male circumcision is in that it is usually performed on a healthy, non-consenting minor where there is no medical necessity or clinical indication. Can a doctor perform non-medical surgerey on a healthy, non-consenting child without a medical necessity or clinical indication, let alone give parents or guardians the option?