Complementary and Disparate: Conceptualising Female and Male Genital Cutting in Northern Tanzania
Mary-Anne Victoria Decatur, PhD dissertation, U of London 2023.
Yes, I do read your dissertations!
"It is the normal, functioning cells of all foreskins that are deemed dangerous. And yet it is specifically Black male bodies that are being constructed as promiscuous sources of infection in need of medical intervention."
"Does the concept of “genital integrity”, which is one of the most potent reasons put forward for opposition to female genital mutilation, apply also to men’s genitals, even if there would be public health benefit from removing men’s foreskins en masse?’. Rather than engage with this ethical question, the consultation’s report advised policy makers and programme developers to emphasise ‘that male circumcision is very different from female genital mutilation’."
"Integral to this appears to be the assumption that if medicalised, (male) genital cutting will be consensual and safe."
Doctors have conflated medicalization with consent and safety. Just because you are using sterile instruments does not mean that your surgery is consensual nor does it guarantee that the patient is safe from iatrogenic harm.
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