Female Genital Mutilation Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), also known as female circumcision, is a destructive and invasive procedure involving the removal or alteration of female genital. The procedure is carried out at a variety of ages, ranging from shortly after birth to some time during the first pregnancy, but most commonly occurs between the ages of four and eight. There are three main types of FGC that are practiced: Type I (Sunna circumcision), Type II (Excision), and Type III (Infibulation). These three operation range in intensity, from the "mildness" of Type I, to the extreme Type III. The practice occurs in Africa, the Middle East, parts of Asia, and in immigrant communities in Europe and North America. An estimated 135 million of the world's girls and women have undergone genital mutilation, and two million girls a year are at risk - approximately 6,000 per day - about one every 15 seconds. (1) Although Female Genital Mutilation predates Islam and is not practiced by the majority of Muslims, it has acquired this religious dimension. However, FGM is a cross-cultural and cross-religious ritual. In Africa and the Middle East it is performed by Muslims, Coptic Christians, members of various indigenous groups, Protestants, and Catholics; to name a few. The type of mutilation practiced, the age at which it is carried out, and the way its done varies according to a variety of factors, including the woman or girl's ethnic group, what country they are living in, whether in a rural or urban area and their socio-economic background. The first and "mildest" type of FGM is called "sunna circumcision" or Type I. The term "Sunna" refers to tradition as taught by the prophet Muhammad. This specific procedure involves the... ... middle of paper ... ...ted with a blunt penknife. After the operation, no one was allowed to aid me to walk. The stuff they put on my wound stank and was painful. These were terrible times for me. Each time I wanted to urinate, I was forced to stand upright. The urine would spread over the wound and would cause fresh pain all over again. Sometimes I had to force myself not to urinate for fear of the terrible pain. I was not given any anesthetic in the operation to reduce my pain, nor any antibiotics to fight against infection. Afterwards, I hemorrhaged and became anemic. This was attributed to witchcraft. I suffered for a long time from acute vaginal infections." Hannah Koroma, Sierra Leone (4) Internet Sources: 1) http://www.religioustolerance.org/fem_cirm.htm 2) http://www.fgmnetwork.org/intro/fgmintro.html 3) http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/intcam/femgen/fgm1.htm#a4
Female genital mutilation is mostly practiced in Islamic and African cultures, claiming young girls as t...
Internationally, issues revolving around the female body and reproduction are extremely controversial. For a woman, her body is a very private matter. At the same time, however, a woman's body and her reproduction rights are the center of attention in many public debates. Several questions regarding women's reproductive rights remain unanswered. How much control do women have over their bodies? What kind of rules can be morally imposed upon women? And who controls the bodies of women? Although the public continues to debate these topics, certain conclusions can been made concerning women and their reproductive rights. An undeniable fact is that government has a large degree of control over female reproductive organs. All around the world, time and time again, several national governments have implemented policies, enacted laws, and denied women control over their reproductive organs. Several governments have crossed the border between intimate and public matters concerning women's reproductive organs, by making laws about contraceptives, abortion, and family planning programs.
Freedom of choice is a desire for most, but as we are young we depend on the decision of our parents. With this dependent nature of a child the freedom of choice is limited, for males this can lead to a life long consequence. Male circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin; the skin covering the head of the penis. Circumcision is practiced for religious purposes in Jewish and Muslim communities. Normally, the boy’s age varies from 4 to 11 years old. In the United States, this procedure is also done but without a religious purpose. The boys in this case are commonly newborn. This practice became popular after medical groups claimed that there were many health benefits that came with circumcision. Though it has been proven otherwise, it is still a common practice in the U.S. fueled by ignorance. Circumcision is an unnecessary surgery that leads to psychological problems, issues with sexual activities and lasting physical damage.
Another instance, in which suicide could be justified as not wrong, is when it deals with the mentally unstable. This is also like child suicide, because the insane are not capable of judging right from wrong. No one knows the degree of sanity one needs to be able to decipher their own actions, so this is also completely left up t...
Female genital mutilation is practiced and done cruelty without mercy. As well as, FGM consists of complete removal of external female genitalia. Stated by www.forwarduk.org , FGM is composed of four types . The first type well - known as Clitoridectomy it requires cutting the skin surrounding the clitoris without cutting the clitoris itself. The second type is cutting the clitoris and the skin near it, also some parts of the labia minora or sometimes the labia completely. The third type, is the most dreadful is removal of the external genitalia and sewing the gap of the vaginal opening. This procedure is well- know as infibulation. The tissue then creates a canal of scar above the vigina leaving a miniature hole for urine and period blood. The victim then has severe complication during sexual activity . The Majority of female genital cutting cases are of this t...
Desiderius Erasmus, a man of few spoken words, wrote many arguments about how the church was being run. He felt that everyone acted “godly” and thought that they were above people. He critiqued not only those in the church, but many broad generalizations of people as well, citing the bible. Most of Erasmus’ disdain for the way things were run was due to the circumstances he was raised in. With his “The Praise of Folly” Erasmus shows his humanistic worldview, as well as tells people what they should change in order to live a better life.
A hot button issue in our society over the years has been the topic of male and female circumcision. This issue has been portrayed in both ethical and political paradigms. “It is estimated that about 30% of males are circumcised worldwide for religious, cultural, and health reasons, most of whom live in major parts of the Middle East, Central Asia, West Africa and Israel, as well as in the United States of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand,” according to Demuth (1). Male circumcision is the medical process of the removal of the foreskin that covers the head of the penis. In continuation, the article “Prevalence of Female Genital Cutting among Egyptian Girls,” estimates that between “100 and 130 million girls and women now alive in at least 28 African countries and the Middle East have been subjected to female circumcision or female genital mutilation (FGM)” stated by Tag-Eldin (3). The female genital mutilation is a bit different than a male’s circumcision, generally consisting of three types. “Type 1 is the removal of the clitoris, Type 2 is the removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, and Type 3 is the removal of all parts of the external genitalia, which includes: the clitoris, the labia minora/majora, and then sewing the rest of the tissues,” according to Pauls (4). The origin of circumcision is currently unknown, but according to the article “Circumcision”, there is a theory that in Ancient Egypt, Egyptians men were circumcised and eliminated all of their body hair for probably hygienic reasons. In addition, in the “Book of the Dead” it describes the sun god, Ra, to have circumcised himself (40). This suggests that it may have also been for religious reasons.
Khan, M. M., & Mian, A. I. (2010). ‘The one truly serious philosophical problem’: Ethical aspects of suicide. International Review Of Psychiatry, 22 (3), 288-293. doi:10.3109/09540261.2010.484017
“Suicide is a major public health issue; it takes the life of over a million people a year.” (“Suicide Widely”) Suicide is a growing epidemic that has very negative effects and views against it. Suicide is immoral because it is said to taint your soul. Numerous side effects from it can help you understand why it is wrong. Families and friendships are torn apart by the destructive acts. Understandably, people considering killing themselves aren’t immoral because at that point you’re able to go get help and tell someone how you’re feeling. I hope to encourage more awareness for this issue to save more lives and encourage more communication.
"Life of King Arthur." Timeless Myths. N.p., 24 May 2006. Google. Web. 20 May 2014. .
For example, in the movie “The Gods Must Be Crazy”, two different men from completely different societies are presented in the same situations. Their umwelts have been developed according to the environment they grew in, so we can see them giving different meanings to the same things because of the exposure they have had before and the use they give to that thing. On one side we have a man who has grown up in civilization by the name of Andrew Steyrn. He lives by the technological advancements created by his society for the environment to adapt to their lifestyle. He is constantly adapting to new situations and processes. He has grown, just as many of other people, in an environment that has been adapted to the human being. On the other hand there is a “bushman” named Xi that comes from a society that lives in the wilderness. His social environment is normally made up by a family and they live fully off the earth. They have no knowledge of laws, rules, punishment, etc. They have no sense of time more than that of the day and night. For them everything that exists in this earth is good, nothing is evil. They live in isolation unaware of ot...
King Arthur’s legacy in the literature world relies solely on his ability to convey a litany of symbols; as stated in the text, “...he still looms large today as a potent symbol of the fearless, all-conquering, idealistic warrior king” (Jenner 64). Firm belief in the legend resides in the belief of what he embodies -- a classic “hero” in literature. Representing fearlessness and warrior-esque traits, people are able to look to King Arthur and his legends in time of need for strength and courage. This is similar to how his Knights of the Round Table look towards him. Being able to conquer all but still remain idealistic and -- depending on the legend -- merciful, allows King Arthur to retain his status as popular, and it also allows his legends to continue existing.
This argument can quickly be viewed as false when one thinks about a person that causes a great nuisance in the community, such as a serial killer or rapist. The community would want the individual imprisoned at the very minimum and the idea that they would want them dead would not be far-fetched, especially if they caused great personal harm. From the utilitarianism stand point it would be beneficial if the murderer or rapist committed suicide. This ultimate opt-out could be the most the most beneficial for the individual and community. The individual that committed the heinous crimes, such as rape or murder, especially if it was towards a child, would face serious punishments from the prison community. This is because those who molest or murder children are viewed as the lowest of the low in the prison community and will be harmed if any opportunity is seen by another inmate. So, by allowing suicide, it will allow the murderer or rapist to take his or her own life rather than the community taking it without the opinion on how the act is completed for them. David Hume agrees that one who has committed a great harm should remove themselves from the community. “Suppose, that my life hinders some person from being much more useful to the public. In such my registration from life must not be only innocent but laudable” (Hume
It is hard to determine the direct origins of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Some researchers believes Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) originated in either ancient Egypt, Ethiopia, or Greece during the fifth century BC (Nawal, 2008, pp. 135-139). However, presently, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is performed on millions of young girls and women (Rahman, 2006). Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) occurs in Africa, Europe, Australia, Canada, and in the United States (Mascia-Lees 2010, pp. 66-68). Furthermore, there are four types of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) procedure. Type 1 hood of skin that sits over the clitoris (prepuce) is removed, type 2 the entire clitoris is removed, type 3 the external genitals are partly or totally removed and the wound stitched together, and type 4 is other practices including piercing, cauterizing, scraping or using corrosive substances designed to scar and narrow the vagina (anonymous 2014).
“Death and Dying”. Suicide: Sourced. en.wikiquote.org. Social Issues Resources Series, Vol. 1. 7 July 2010. Web. 30 July 2010.