LANSING (WKZO-AM/FM) — The Michigan Senate Judiciary Committee has approved a bill that would criminalize female genital mutilation in Michigan.
It is already a federal offense. The Michigan measure would have more-severe penalties for practitioners that administer the procedure.
Co-sponsor Margaret O’Brien, R-Portage, testified before the committee, saying “female genital mutilation is not a medical procedure — it is solely designed to oppress girls and women. Let’s stand up and protect those who have been defenseless.” She went on to say that “we have to end the barbaric attacks on our girls.”
The measure passed in the Senate Committee would make it a 15-year felony. The federal maximum is only five years.
“These bills are much larger than just Michigan. The globe has its eyes on these bills and what we are talking about today,” Dr. Lori Post, a professor at Yale, said.
It was introduced in response to federal indictments against two doctors in the Detroit area who are charged with doing FGM on two children from Minnesota.
Twenty-four other states have also criminalized FGM.
