Good News

[Trigger warning for female genital cutting.]

Earlier this month, I wrote about an American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement that proposed a "compromise" on female genital cutting in the form of a "ritual nick," a minor incision of the clitoris to satisfy the urge to ritualistically disfigure a female child's genitals.

In a positive turn of events, the AAP has rescinded the policy statement:

"We retracted the policy because it is important that the world health community understands the AAP is totally opposed to all forms of female genital cutting, both here in the U.S. and anywhere else in the world," said AAP President Judith S. Palfrey.

..."We welcome the AAP's decision to withdraw its 2010 policy statement on FGM," said Lakshmi Anantnarayan, a spokeswoman at Equality Now. "This is a crucial step forward in the movement to raise awareness about female genital mutilation."

One of the women instrumental in this reversal is Soraya Mire, a Somali filmmaker and survivor of female genital cutting, who now lives in LA and is an anti-FGC advocate working with African immigrant families, who are under pressure to continue the tradition, putting "American girls in immigrant communities at risk of being sent overseas to have the procedure completed." Mire "was in disbelief when she first read the AAP's original statement about six weeks ago."

She couldn't sleep. She couldn't eat. She's dedicated her time to calling legislators, survivors and advocacy groups to pressure AAP to change its original policy statements.

Her efforts worked, she learned on Wednesday from a personal phone call from the academy. ... "I cried and told them how grateful I am," said [Mire]. "Thank you for understanding us survivors and hearing our voices."

..."I slept so well last night," she said. "I woke up smiling."

That's a lady who knows how to work a teaspoon, right there.