Thursday, September 14, 2006

Two for one today - another ethics question

Many cultures practice excision (excision is a permanently disfiguring procedure that is sometimes called female circumcision and is a permanent loss of sexual pleasure). Upwards of 150 million women and girls world wide are estimated to have undergone ritual cutting. Estimates suggest that roughly 200,000 women who have been excised have moved to the United States. While many people in this culture say that the practice is "barbaric," in the cultures where it is practice a number of defenses are given for the practice.
How do you think we should morally evaluate the practice?

EDIT: Note, the practice is done willingly by adults.

1 comment:

Mkellynotes said...

If female individuals are forced against their will to undergo this practice, it is not moral.

If, however, an individual chooses this procedure free of coercion, then it might be considered more morally defensible.