The
Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) wishes to be recorded in strong support of
Senate Bill 788/House Bill 2333, An Act protecting girls from female genital
mutilation.
H.2333/S.788
defines Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as “all procedures involving partial or
total removal of the female genitalia or other injury to the female genital
organs, or any harmful procedure to the female genitalia.” This bill would
criminalize the following acts:
committing FGM on a child; removing a child from Massachusetts for the
purposes of committing FGM; assisting a child in committing FGM on herself;
consenting to the commission of FGM on a child; and aiding and abetting another
in the commission of FGM on a child. It
would also put in place a much-needed program for education, prevention, and
outreach to communities that commonly practice FGM in order to inform them of
the health risks and emotional trauma inflected by the practice of FGM.
23
states and the federal government have passed laws banning FGM, which is recognized
internationally as a human rights violation, torture, and an extreme form of
discrimination against woman and girls.
A 2013 prevalence study indicates that the number of woman and girls in
Massachusetts who have had FGM performed on them or are at risk of FGM totaled
14,591 and that Massachusetts ranks 12th in the nation for at-risk populations
(Population Reference Bureau, 2/6/15 report).
MMS
policy strongly supports initiatives to prevent child abuse:
“[MMS]
will…support initiatives to increase physicians’, other health workers’, and
the public’s knowledge of child abuse to improve education and training methods
for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of child abuse; to promote
development of evidence-based programs that continue to advance medical
knowledge and competence in the control of this public health problem; and
engage in collaborative work with professionals, especially in fields such as
child welfare, law, social work, psychology, education, and religion in the
management of child abuse.” This
bill, particularly the provisions addressing education, prevention, and
community outreach, supports this long-held MMS policy.
Massachusetts
is a national leader in public health and welfare policies, and this
legislation would further that leadership by promoting the health and safety of
women and girls throughout the Commonwealth. MMS therefore
urges the Committee on Judiciary to vote to report H.2333/S.788 out of
committee favorably.
