"In FGC, all or part of the female genitals are removed. The procedure, used mostly in Africa and the Middle East, is usually performed on girls between the ages of four and eight, but sometimes on young women. A report in the Yale Journal of Public Health states that in Sudan 89 percent of girls receive FGC and that the cutting tools 'include knives, scissors, razors, and broken glass...' The practice occurs for various reasons, including religious and sociological, and is defended by some who say that it prepares girls for their role in society and marriage and discourages illicit sex. Public health officials regards FGC as a serious health problem. It can cause reproductive tract infections, pain during intercourse, painful menstruation, complications during childbirth, greater risk of HIV infection, bleeding, and even death."
Lewis Vaughn, Doing Ethics: Moral Reasoning and Contemporary Issues, 3rd edition (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2013), p. 26.
Respond to the following questions:
1. Is it simply cultural prejudice to believe FGM, as practiced in societies other than our own, is wrong? Can we ever be justified in believing the practice of another culture to be wrong?
2. What is the best way to show respect for the beliefs of another culture that you disagree with? Should you accept such beliefs without criticism?