When the Washington state legislature met in 2019, they held a public hearing on a bill about restricting the practice of female genital mutilation. Two of the people who testified, John Sambrook and John Adkison, spoke up for the right of boys to have intact, unaltered genitals too. Their testimonies are in the video below.
America’s extraordinarily high prevalence of medicalized non-therapeutic, non-religious circumcising of infant boys has always been and still remains a controversial topic. Some parents feel strongly about having their sons’ foreskins cut and removed, whether for alleged medical, social, or — most often — aesthetic reasons. Having said that, any well-rounded effort to increase our empathy for males, and to acknowledge aspects of gender inequity that cause needless suffering in boys and men, must address the topic of routine penile circumcision of unconsenting minors, including here in Washington. [View our webpage on Genital Autonomy.]
Video Transcript
‘It must be all or nothing. Here’s why.’
John Sambrook: I’m here today to comment on Senate Bill 5257. At root, my comment is this: It is neither ethical nor practical to outlaw female genital mutilation while leaving male and intersex genital mutilation legal. It must be all or nothing.
Here’s why.
Around the world there is no single form of male genital mutilation, and there is no single form of female genital mutilation. In some cultures what is done is wildly harmful, and in other cultures it’s harmful, but less so.
In the United States, male genital mutilation, aka non-therapeutic circumcision, has traditionally been seen as a mild medical procedure that is either benign or has some benefits. Female genital mutilation, on the other hand, has generally been seen as severe mutilation that grievously wounds its victims forever. But in fact in the United States female genital mutilation is typically less severe than male genital mutilation — for example, pricking the clitoral hood under sterile conditions as opposed to partially dissecting the penis and then amputating one-third to one-half of the penile skin system, including the ridged band and the frenulum.
The problem is this: If you leave a more severe form of genital mutilation legal while making a less severe form of genital mutilation illegal, you create an obvious contradiction and a gross inequity in the rights of all citizens.
The bottom line is that all genital mutilation of children should be illegal in Washington state.
‘I am a victim of genital mutilation’
John Adkison: I am a father of two sons. Their genitals are intact and whole. I, on the other hand, am a victim of genital mutilation.
I want to ask these questions for you to think about:
- When does the clitoris stop being the clitoris and start being the penile glans?
- When does the labia majora stop being the labia majora and start being the scrotum?
- When does the labia minora stop being labia minora and start being penile shaft skin?
- When does the clitoral hood (or clitoral prepuce) stop being the clitoral hood and start being the penile prepuce, aka foreskin?
Genital mutilation needs to be genital mutilation across the board.
Please be brave. Be pioneers. This can be the first state in the nation to ban genital mutilation for all.
END OF TESTIMONIES
See also: Empathy for men after abortion? Spokane’s Sheri Olsen explains. [Video]
