Female Genital Mutilation Now A 15-Year Felony In Michigan

LANSING, MI — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed a package of 13 bills Tuesday that makes female genital mutilation, the controversial procedure at the center of a landmark federal case in Detroit, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, both for the doctors who perform the procedure and parents who transport a child to undergo the surgery.

The procedure, which typically involves the removal of all or part of a clitoris to suppress girls’ sexual desires, has been internationally condemned and is banned under several international treaties, but is still a common cultural and religious practice in some countries in Africa and Asia. The Detroit case is believed to be the first court test of a two-decade-old law making FGM has been a five-year federal felony.

“Those who commit these horrendous crimes should be held accountable for their actions, and these bills stiffen the penalties for offenders while providing additional support to victims,” Snyder said in a statement. “This legislation is an important step toward eliminating this despicable practice in Michigan while empowering victims to find healing and justice.”

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Six people have been charged in the historic Detroit genital mutilation case, including Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, 44, of Northville; Dr. Fakhruddin Attar, 53, and his wife, Farida Attar, 50, of Farmington Hills; and Tahera Shafiq, 48, of Northville. Last month, the government widened its net in the investigation and charged two Oakland County moms, Fatema Dahodwala and Farida Arif, who are accused of subjecting their daughters to genital mutilation.

All six defendants are members of the Dawoodi Bohra, an Indian-Muslim sect at the center of a prosecution in Australia last year that ended with three people each getting 15-month prison sentences. They have denied genital cutting, and said the procedure involved minor scraping and was part of a religious practice that is constitutionally protected.

Michigan is now the 26th state with laws against female genital mutilation, according to the women’s rights organization Equality Now, which says more than 125 million girls in 29 countries have had the procedure. Michigan’s new laws are believed to be the toughest in the country.

Photo of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images News/Getty Images