Female Genital Mutilation Outlawed in U.S. as of March 29th

A law passed by Congress last September which outlaws female genital mutilation in women under 18 takes effects on March 29th. The law, shepherded through Congress by ex-Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder (D-CO), makes the procedure a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison. An estimated 100 million women worldwide have undergone the procedure and approximately 160,000 females have been subjected to the procedure in the United States. The procedure can involve cutting the hood of the clitoris or the more drastic step of removing the clitoris and tissue at the entrance to the vagina.