FGM in the American Mid West

REVEALED: Christian docs removed 3-year-old girl’s genitals because they feared she was masturbating

Dr. Renée Bergstrom broke the silence about her experience with female genital mutilation as a child. She recounted how when she was just three years old she was taken to the doctor to have her clitoris removed, Bergstrom wrote for the Guardian.
Bergstrom is now 72 years old, but is now breaking the silence about female genital mutilation, which happened in white, Midwest America. She wrote of her Christian mother taking her to a church clinic to have the procedure as a “‘cure’ for masturbation.”
“My mother was concerned that I was masturbating, and my face turned very red,” Bergstrom shared in a video that accompanied her piece. “She took me to a doctor who said, ‘Well I can fix that,’ and cut off my clitoris.”
“As I was growing older, she told me she knew it was a mistake and that I was not supposed to ever talk about it,” she said.
“I remember the excruciating pain and feeling betrayed,” she wrote. “I was told not to talk about it, but keeping the secret meant I was alone with my questions as I grew into puberty: what was missing? What would it be like to be ‘whole’?”
Bergstrom shared some of the serious risks associated with the procedure, namely that she and her first child could have died during childbirth.
She wrote, “I, like so many women around the world, did not know genital scar tissue does not stretch. I wanted to be fully awake to experience giving birth, but my obstetrician performed an extensive episiotomy under anesthetic that took months to heal.”
“My first child was in danger of becoming stuck in the birth canal,” she explained.
“It was never rare, but it also wasn’t common,” explained Dr. Sarah Rodriguez of the Northwestern University Medical School. “A lot of Americans don’t know about this particular type of history because it was a quick procedure and it was done in a physician’s office, and also because probably it wasn’t something that families really talked about amongst themselves.”
Bergstrom noted that she decided to finally share her story because, she said, “This is not my shame. The shame belongs to our culture, the medical profession.”
“Even though this angers me, if some people will listen to what is happening to our sisters across the world because it also happened to a white person,” she added, “It’s worth my sharing my story.”
You can watch Bergstrom’s story below.



http://www.rawstory.com/2016/12/revealed-christian-docs-removed-3-year-old-girls-genitals-because-they-feared-she-was-masturbating/



Women in Africa (where it is the most prevalent and where it began) are now standing up against this practice thank goodness, but I have to confess I was totally stunned to come across this and to read that it was not just this lady but other girls in the mid west who were abused like this.

Fucking sickos. I can't believe people's minds even work this way.

I find this isssue to be absolutely hideous beyond words.  I don't know how a person's mind even works like that?

Edit: okay just saw Ben said the same thing pfffff posted at the same time

I spent a long time working with a group called Women for Women who helped women all over the world, and FGM was one of the things they tried to educate women about, because believe it or not, a lot of the pressure for it came from mothers who did not believe their daughters would be married without it!   Even then I found it difficult to understand how you could take your daughter to have that done, although after a while I realised how ingrained the thinking was, and I'm so glad that education is making such headway in stopping it.   Even so, I did not have the slightest idea that it went on in America.

I felt sick reading this. I cant believe this happened and does still happen. Also for children in Africa who have this done or sent there from Europe to have this done, why? This sick act and severe abuse on girls must stop!

It happens in the UK too, but it seems even though it's been illegal for decades not much is done to prevent it happening here, or to stop girls being sent abroad to be mutilated.
The NSPCC ask people to be aware of 'cutters' visiting the UK, especially in the summer holidays when the girls have more time to heal.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/06/female-genital-mutilation-foreign-crime-common-uk

Yes it goes on in certain communities. Its barbaric and should be stopped, even though as you say, its against the law, it never stops.

It's shocking that this has happened in America, by Americans to Americans....a quick and simple op to stop a young girl masturbating.....a quick cut that can cause her damage and pain both mentally and psychologically for the rest of her life.

This is abuse and they should be arrested for doing this. Mind you, these communities or young girls don't speak out. I feel so sorry for them I really do.

Syl wrote:It's shocking that this has happened in America, by Americans to Americans....a quick and simple op to stop a young girl masturbating.....a quick cut that can cause her damage and pain both mentally and psychologically for the rest of her life.

Wherever it happens, when it happens, it is hardly noticed because it is a normalized (accepted) part of the culture.  MGM is even more prevalent in America, and those who do it will even search for after-the-fact explanations rather than change.  

When introduced by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg it was suggested MGM would combat the evils of masturbation.  Then, when every male in America had the tip of his dick cut off and masturbation came back into vogue, they adopted the more modern reason that is more hygienic.  That was debunked by a huge Navy study performed during WWII.  

It's all bullshit of course, but such are the ways of normalization.  In the OP story, it occurred between the two eras: anti-masturbation and hygienic reasons.  It was spurred on by the Christian belief that sex should exist only for procreation (hence, masturbation is evil).  The don't talk about it admonition was recognition that something abnormal is taking place.

The sense of betrayal arises from the fact that is was taking away something very personal, yet important, to the victim.  Unfortunately the medical profession willingly participates in this sort of thing because they believe in the system, they feel they are doing something positive about a problem, and they make money doing it.  But, someone should tell them that it is a violation of the hippocratic oath: do no harm.

The reason why outspoken iconoclasts and dissenters are valuable to society is that they expose normalized behavior like this.  The process of normalization can be good or bad.  Society needs normalization, but when it comes to certain evils like racism, xenophobia, and some religious practices, they get swept into the process too.

Original Quill wrote:

Syl wrote:It's shocking that this has happened in America, by Americans to Americans....a quick and simple op to stop a young girl masturbating.....a quick cut that can cause her damage and pain both mentally and psychologically for the rest of her life.

Wherever it happens, when it happens, it is hardly noticed because it is a normalized (accepted) part of the culture.  MGM is even more prevalent in America, and those who do it will even search for after-the-fact explanations rather than change.  

When introduced by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg it was suggested MGM would combat the evils of masturbation.  Then, when every male in America had the tip of his dick cut off and masturbation came back into vogue, they adopted the more modern reason that is more hygienic.  That was debunked by a huge Navy study performed during WWII.  

It's all bullshit of course, but such are the ways of normalization.  In the OP story, it occurred between the to eras: anti-masturbation and hygienic reasons.  It was spurred on by the Christian belief that sex should exist only for procreation (hence, masturbation is evil).  The don't talk about it admonition was recognition that something abnormal is taking place.

The sense of betrayal arises from the fact that is was taking away something very personal, yet important, to the victim.  Unfortunately the medical profession willingly participates in this sort of thing because they believe in the system, they feel they are doing something positive about a problem, and they make money doing it.  But, someone should tell them that it is a violation of the hippocratic oath: do no harm.

The reason why outspoken iconoclasts and dissenters are valuable to society is that they expose normalized behavior like this.  The process of normalization can be good or bad.  Society needs normalization, but when it comes to certain evils like racism, xenophobia, and some religious practices, they get swept into the process too.

Have a greenie.   As you say, in all cultures the reason why it exists is because it became normalised.   In America it was normalised only compariatively recently and we have the ease of communication for it being caught and outed so quickly.   In other countries and cultures it started at a time communication was difficult and therefore became entrenched over hundreds of years and is much more difficult to deal with the 'normality'.   However, women working together are making a huge difference.   In the Jewish community as well, women are working to stop their sons being cut, especially because of the practice of 'sucking' it afterwards, that has resulted in babies with herpes etc.

Have one yourself, for starting this thread and highlighting the concern.

Thank you Quill.

sassy wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Wherever it happens, when it happens, it is hardly noticed because it is a normalized (accepted) part of the culture.  MGM is even more prevalent in America, and those who do it will even search for after-the-fact explanations rather than change.  

When introduced by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg it was suggested MGM would combat the evils of masturbation.  Then, when every male in America had the tip of his dick cut off and masturbation came back into vogue, they adopted the more modern reason that is more hygienic.  That was debunked by a huge Navy study performed during WWII.  

It's all bullshit of course, but such are the ways of normalization.  In the OP story, it occurred between the to eras: anti-masturbation and hygienic reasons.  It was spurred on by the Christian belief that sex should exist only for procreation (hence, masturbation is evil).  The don't talk about it admonition was recognition that something abnormal is taking place.

The sense of betrayal arises from the fact that is was taking away something very personal, yet important, to the victim.  Unfortunately the medical profession willingly participates in this sort of thing because they believe in the system, they feel they are doing something positive about a problem, and they make money doing it.  But, someone should tell them that it is a violation of the hippocratic oath: do no harm.

The reason why outspoken iconoclasts and dissenters are valuable to society is that they expose normalized behavior like this.  The process of normalization can be good or bad.  Society needs normalization, but when it comes to certain evils like racism, xenophobia, and some religious practices, they get swept into the process too.

Have a greenie.   As you say, in all cultures the reason why it exists is because it became normalised.   In America it was normalised only compariatively recently and we have the ease of communication for it being caught and outed so quickly.   In other countries and cultures it started at a time communication was difficult and therefore became entrenched over hundreds of years and is much more difficult to deal with the 'normality'.   However, women working together are making a huge difference.   In the Jewish community as well, women are working to stop their sons being cut, especially because of the practice of 'sucking' it afterwards, that has resulted in babies with herpes etc.

The custom of circumcising baby boys is an outdated one, and the passing on of diseases to the infant is grotesque.
Maybe in olden times when water was not freely available to wash there was a point to it....no point in any modern society, unless it's for medical issues.

Syl wrote:The custom of circumcising baby boys is an outdated one, and the passing on of diseases to the infant is grotesque.
Maybe in olden times when water was not freely available to wash there was a point to it....no point in any modern society, unless it's for medical issues.

The issue of whether circumcision works is not 'water' vs. 'no water'.  The issue is 'having a protective covering' vs. 'not having a protective covering'.  Imagine if someone suggested that the eye would be hygienically better off if we cut off the eyelid.  That's the hypothesis.

The idea that circumcision is an hygienic improvement on the natural human body was tested in the 1940's by a massive US Navy study of all men in the service.  It was generally found that there were fewer infections and health issues when the foreskin was left intact.  UTI's are fewer and other infectious diseases are less frequent.  Religious persons--even professionals--still rage over this issue, and assume to present new quantitative findings, but their motives are suspect.  The facts are the facts.

I was meaning there could have been a point to it when bathing was impossible in times gone by, long before the 1940's....I know the origins go a lot deeper than that, but practically, other than for hygienic  or medical reasons I cant see the benefits.

Syl wrote:I was meaning there could have been a point to it when bathing was impossible in times gone by, long before the 1940's....I know the origins go a lot deeper than that, but practically, other than for hygienic  or medical reasons I cant see the benefits.

Bathing is an after-the-fact issue.  No question but that modernly, bathing is always recommended.

The question with circumcision is whether the organ is better off without the foreskin...regardless of bathing practices (assuming bathing is similarly available for both sides).  In a Biblical sense, did god design the human body best, or did Abraham improve on it?  Whether or not water is available, or any antiseptic, or cleansing method, statistical studies show that holding constant for cleansing method, the human body is hygienically better off with a foreskin.

BTW, this is not limited to MGM issues.  There is no equivalent to circumcision for female bodies--literally, circumcision means to 'cut around' and women have nothing to cut around; the homogeneous body part to the foreskin in the female is the cliterol hood--but there are a variety of similar procedures: labia rescission (both the labia majora and labia minora), hoodectomy, and other forms of dermis reduction.  These are often done for cosmetic reasons, and for reasons to improve sexual function.  There is no hygienic improvement with these procedures in females either.  There is, however, as with circumcision, reduction of nerve-rich tissue, reducing what one feels during sexual stimulation.

The really socially offensive procedure is the clitorectomy, similar to what would be a penectomy...the excising of the glans clitoris or the glans penis.  That removes all sexual sensation.

It all sounds barbaric to me.

Syl wrote:It all sounds barbaric to me.

Me too. I have never understood the preoccupation with changing god's work in the genital regions. Barbaric indeed.