Everyone line up and drop their pants...
The date is July 1, 2004, the scene is a metal detector in the Atlanta airport. The buzzer has just gone off and an officer is now using the wand on the female who set the alarm off. The buzzer keeps going off in the region between her thighs and she's wearing a wraparound skirt (no zipper).
"Excuse Miss, when did you become the victim of female genital mutilation?"
"Um, I'm not the victim of genital mutilation -- my hood piercing must be setting that thing off."
"Miss, don't aid and abet an unknown criminal -- who did that to you?"
"The piercer over at Holes-R-Us..."
"Thank you for your cooperation. Dispatch, we've got a scummy lawbreaking genital piercer over at Holes-R-Us, send all available units."
"Officer, is victim of mutilation a man or a woman..."
"Dispatch, obviously it's a woman -- a man can do anything he wants to his genitals and the person doing it to him is not culpable at all."
"Ok, just checking."
This scene could occur within the year if the "Amirah Joyce Adem Act" passes GA's House vote with the additions in tact. It's an Act to ban female genital mutilation. Fine, you say. But the addition includes a ban on all piercings done by anyone who is not a doctor or a nurse. Including piercers piercing consenting adult women who want the jewelry. History has shown that almost all piercings in the genitals of women do not result in complications. I'm sure there is the odd case, but by far the procedure is safe and can be done effectively by an experienced piercer.
There is a fine line between modification and mutilation in some people's minds, but surely this is stepping too far over that line.
There seems to be an error in the inclusion of consenting adult women over 18 in the ban. If this problem is corrected, then there should be no problem for the bill and the concerns of the opponents would be quelled.
More Info:
Piercing.org
posted by Russell @ 12:12 PM
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