Actor with Maine Roots, Kelly Carlson, Joins State’s Prosecutors in Bipartisan Effort to #EndFGMToday Washington, D.C.—Tomorrow, the Maine State Legislature will have the opportunity to vote on a bipartisan bill that would ban in that state a barbaric practice known as female genital mutilation (FGM). At issue is whether lawmakers…
There’s hope that a bill in Maine banning female genital mutilation will be reconsidered by lawmakers. In late June, Maine’s Senate unanimously passed L.D. 745, a bill banning the practice; but just two days later, Democrats in the House, joined by three Republicans, voted it down. That came after the…
Last week, while Michigan governor Rick Snyder was signing new legislation to make female genital mutilation (FGM),the practice that cuts or removes the outside of the female genitalia, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, the Maine legislature was turning a blind eye to the grim reality of FGM…
It’s a brutal practice that’s inflicted on thousands of girls and women every year. Female genital mutilation, or female ritual cutting, involves altering or injuring female genital organs. It’s often done by people with no medical training and in filthy places, posing horrendous health risks that can linger for decades.…
Maine Lawmakers Voting Soon on Similar Law That Would Make FGM a Crime and Protect Girls and Women; #ENDFGMTODAY Washington, D.C.—The state of Michigan now recognizes female genital mutilation (FGM) as a felony in that state, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, thanks to a bill signed by…
A group from outside Maine is urging lawmakers to reconsider a bill that would add new state penalties for female genital mutilation, or FGM. The practice, largely unheard of in the United States, has been getting increasing attention lately. The group, “End FGM Today” wants Maine lawmakers to pass the…
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed several bills into law Tuesday, increasing the penalties for female genital mutilation. Of the 13 bills he signed into law, one of the bills he signed would classify female genital mutilation (FGM) in Michigan as a felony that carries a penalty of up to 15…
Don’t call Adama Lee Bah a victim. She is most definitely a survivor. Not only that, she is thriving. At age 7, in her home country of The Gambia, Bah was subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM), a cultural practice that involves the mutilation or cutting of the female genitalia…
Gov. Rick Snyder signed 13 bills Tuesday stemming from a case of female genital mutilation that happened in Livonia in April. “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.…
A bill sponsored by a Scarborough legislator is in the works right now to protect the health of minors across the state. The bill, LD745 “An Act to Prohibit Female Genital Mutilation,” which is sponsored by Rep. Heather Sirocki, would make the cutting of external female genitalia on minors…