Female genital mutilation

The sex-related article that I chose to write about deals with the topic of female genital mutilation, something we have discussed extensively in our Bio 341 class. The article begins with a little vignette of an old woman examining seven tiny knives –knives that are used for female circumcision, a ritual that was performed on her several years before and continues to be performed to this day. The article goes on to explain what female circumcision exactly is (the cutting out of part or all of the clitoris, vulva and labia) and indicates how widespread and common a practice it is, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and the Islamic population of the continent’s west. However, attitudes about this practice are beginning to change, as the dangers associated with it are beginning to be conveyed through popular media, which in turn is slowing the custom. However, this quiet revolution is not getting rid of the coming-of-age rite altogether. Instead, older women who used to perform th...