I’m 80 years old, white, a lifelong resident of the Midwest, and a regular churchgoer. I am also a survivor of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C).

Does this shock you? I imagine it does. But similar stories are happening on every continent except Antarcticaopens in a new tab or window every day, most often driven by deep-seated cultural beliefs about and fears of women’s sexuality and sexual pleasure. It’s not surprising that the doctor who cut me was a Seventh-day Adventist, a religion that has historically had strict prohibitions against masturbation.

These operations can lead to a lifetime of health issuesopens in a new tab or window (some of which I’ve suffered): frequent urinary tract infections, menstrual problems, infertility, pain during sexual intercourse, and difficulty giving birth. Too often the pain of this is compounded by inappropriate reactions from clinicians, including expressing disdain for the person’s culture, bringing others in to view the altered genitalia without permission, and failing to listen to what the patient says she needs — particularly patients who are coming in for […]