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[[Image:tubercle.jpg|right|thumb|The male (left) and female (right) [[clitoris]]/[[penis ]] and [[prepuce ]] are analogous and homologous organs throughout life. During the first trimester, they are also visually the same. Both are natural, normal, purposeful body organs that equally contribute to the health, functioning, and well-being of their owner.

There are various reasons given as to why male and female circumcision belong in two separate categories.:* Female circumcision is worse than male circumcision.* Female circumcision doesn't have health benefits like male circumcision does.* Female circumcision eliminates the ability to orgasm, a circumcised man can still function.* Female circumcision is performed to subjugate a woman and purposefully diminish her sexuality.* Female circumcision removes the [[clitoris]], male circumcision doesn't remove anything important.* Female circumcision is performed in unsanitary environments.* Female circumcision is performed with unclean utensils.* Female circumcision is performed by amateurs.* Female circumcision is traumatic because it is performed on older girls and women.* Female circumcision is performed without pain killers.* Female circumcision involves risks and complications.

Quite a few alibis are given as to why male and female circumcision must be placed in different articles, and they will be debunked and discussed at length in this article. However, before going any further, the common thread that binds male and female forced genital cutting will be presented, and it is this; forcefully cutting off part of the genitals of a healthy, non-consenting individual violates the exact same principle of [[genital integrity]].

! [[Clitoridectomy ]] and [[Infibulation ]] in Africa

| "She loses only a little piece of the [[clitoris]], just the part that protrudes. The girl does not miss it. She can still feel, after all. There is hardly any pain. Women's pain thresholds are so much higher than men's."| "It's only a little piece of [[skin]]. The baby does not feel any pain because his nervous system is not developed yet."

|"Female circumcision protects the health of a woman. [[Infibulation ]] prevents the uterus from falling out [uterine prolapse]. It keeps her smelling so sweet that her husband will be pleased. If it is not done, she will stink and get worms in her vagina."

|"An intact [[vulva ]] is unclean and only the lowest prostitute would leave her daughter intact. No man would dream of marrying an unclean woman. He would be laughed at by everyone."|"An intact [[penis ]] is dirty and only the lowest class of people with no concept of hygiene leave their boys intact."

|"Leaving a girl intact endangers both her husband and her baby. If the baby's head touches the uncut [[clitoris ]] during birth, the baby will be born hydrocephalic [excess cranial fluid]. The milk of the mother will become poisonous. If a man's penis touches a woman's [[clitoris ]] he will become impotent."

|Sudanese grandmother: "In some countries they only cut out the [[clitoris]], but here we do it properly. We scrape our girls clean. If it is properly done, nothing is left, other than a scar. Everything has to be cut away."

Male genital cutting can consist of a mere prick to draw a drop of blood, to cutting off just the tip of the foreskin, full [[excision ]] of the [[foreskin]], a procedure called subincision where the underside of the penis is cut lengthwise to expose the [[urethra]], to a [[penectomy ]] or shaft removal, castration or the removal of the testes, to the removal of the shaft and testes.

[[FGC ]] consists of several distinct procedures. Their severity is often viewed as dependent on how much genital tissue is cut away. The WHO—which uses the term Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)—divides the procedure into four major types<ref name = "WHO - Terminology"/> (see Diagram 1), although there is some debate as to whether all common forms of FGM fit into these four categories, as well as issues with the reliability of reported data.<ref name="Elmusharaf_2006">{{REFjournal

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[[Image:FGC-Types.png|thumb|Diagram 1:This image shows the different types of FGM and how they differ to the uncircumcised intact female anatomy.]]

The WHO defines Type I FGM as the partial or total removal of the [[clitoris ]] ([[clitoridectomy]]) and/or the prepuce ([[clitoral hood]]); see ''Diagram 1B''. When it is important to distinguish between the variations of Type I cutting, the following subdivisions are proposed: Type Ia, removal of the clitoral hood or prepuce only; Type Ib, removal of the [[clitoris ]] with the prepuce.<ref name = "WHO - Terminology"/>

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

=== Type III: infibulation [[Infibulation]] with [[excision ]] ===

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

}}</ref> [[Infibulation ]] is also known as "pharaonic circumcision".<ref>[http://www.worldvision.org/about_us.nsf/child/eNews_fgmfaq_030706?OpenDocument&lpos=main&lid=fgm_faq Frequently Asked Questions on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)]</ref>

There are other forms of FGM, collectively referred to as Type IV, that may not involve tissue removal. The WHO defines Type IV FGM as "all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, for example, pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization."<ref name="WHO - Terminology"/> This includes a diverse range of practices, such as pricking the [[clitoris ]] with needles, burning or scarring the genitals as well as ripping or tearing of the vagina.<ref name="WHO - Terminology"/>

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 surgery on a healthy, non-consenting child without a medical necessity or clinical indication, let alone give parents or guardians the option?