Crucial Bill to Criminalize FGM in Maine Not Dead, Up for Vote in Senate on August 2—Pressure Now on House Democrats; #EndFGMToday Washington, D.C.—There are few in America who would argue that mutilating the genitals of little girls is excusable. Yet, some lawmakers in Maine are preventing the criminalization of…
When authorities discovered that a pair of Michigan doctors were using a Livonia clinic to perform genital mutilations on young girls, they had to charge the suspects in federal court because Michigan had no state law outlawing the practice. Earlier this month, Gov. Rick Snyder signed a bill that will…
Governor Rick Snyder signed a large bill package last week that makes female genital mutilation a felony in Michigan, but he could see more bills on this issue headed to his desk. The additional bills deal with police training and parental rights. Democratic state Representative Vanessa Guerra sponsored the legislation, HB 4640,…
The motto of the state of Maine is Dirigo – Latin for ‘I lead’. Bellwether wants to know who’s leading the fight to protect little girls in Maine from genital mutilation. A Republican-sponsored bill to outlaw the barbaric procedure is being opposed by Democrats, who say they fear it will…
Maine actress Kelly Carlson discusses why the Maine legislature must pass its anti-FGM legislation immediately
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.…