Looking at female circumcision, I cannot agree that it should be legally protected. I understand that these operations are typically tied into traditions regarding adulthood, but there are some cultures that force women to undergo these surgeries so they can appear more pure. The costs simply outweigh the benefits with these surgical procedures. Referred to in “Circumcision, Pluralism, and Dilemmas of Cultural Relativism,” women can experience infections, urinary retention, excess bleeding, vulvar cysts, keloid scars, and so on. With performance of infibulation, women have to endure even more pain when having intercourse or giving birth to a child. The practice, to me, simply seems inhumane. But, I have to take into consideration that there are more factors that come into play than what seems on the surface. Women in Africa, for example, are truly just choosing to follow the long-held traditions of their culture and they don’t view it as mutilation. So, in some cases, I’m kind of torn on which way I side.
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