Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site utastro.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!ut-sally!utastro!ethan From: ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac) Newsgroups: net.women Subject: Re: Clitor(id)ectomy (Re: Law and Christianity (sort of)) Message-ID: <1073@utastro.UUCP> Date: Fri, 8-Mar-85 15:33:59 EST Article-I.D.: utastro.1073 Posted: Fri Mar 8 15:33:59 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 11-Mar-85 05:40:44 EST References: <156@osiris.UUCP> <205@rtech.ARPA> <1067@utastro.UUCP> <1269@ut-sally.UUCP> Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX Lines: 28 > > > > ...the clitorectomy, the removal > > > > of a girl's clitoris to greatly reduce her future pleasure in sex (don't > > > > want them to ahve any fun. now do we ?). This is still practiced in many > > > > African and Near Eastern cultures... > > > > > > Does anyone know what reasons (excuses) such societies state for their > > > practice of clitorectomy? > > > > I have heard two excuses. The first is that it reduces the probability > > of adultery... > > I wish I had some references to back my recollection up, but I seem to > recall reading about at least one area in Africa where the practice is > common where the folk belief is almost exactly the opposite: clitoridectomy > is held to e n h a n c e a woman's sexual pleasure, and adolescent > girls are expected to go through a period of intense and promiscuous sexual > activity immediately after going through the rites of passage that included > clitoridectomy. Very hard to believe, I know, but that's a claim I've read. > At this point I think we do need references, or some knowledgeable netters. I think that there are various degrees of clitorectomy practiced. Perhaps some of them, like male circumcision, do not affect sexual function. Radical clitorectomy surely must. "Don't argue with a fool. Ethan Vishniac Borrow his money." {charm,ut-sally,ut-ngp,noao}!utastro!ethan *Anyone who wants to claim these opinions is welcome to them.*