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Fury as Italians back female mutilation
Health authorities in Florence triggered an outcry after they accepted a version of female circumcision.A gynaecologist in the city is proposing to perform a "light" version of infibulation, the mutilation of the genitalia of young girls which is practised in many African countries. Dr Omar Abdul Kadir, a gynaecologist who has been working in Florence for several years, claims that his operation satisfies the traditional demands for the operation from many African mothers, yet "causes neither pain nor damage". But the proposal, and its acceptance by the local health authority, has outraged Italians campaigning against female genital mutilation (FGM). Cristiana Scoppa, who works for Aidos, a Rome-based non-governmental organisation working in Third World countries on womenâs development, said that the operation would break Italian law. "You can be prosecuted for cutting an organ that is healthy," she said. "If the damage is so big as to eliminate the organ, you can get 12 years in prison." The plan for the operation to be performed in Florentine hospitals, though agreed by the cityâs health authority, must now go before the regional health authorityâs bio-ethics committee for ratification. The committee, to meet in March, would have to be agree before hospitals in Florence could carry out the procedure. Posted by: TS 2004-01-22 |
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