Buffalo Law Review, Volume 45: Page 555, 1997.
Abbie J. Chessler+
Table of Contents
Introduction.......................................... 557 I. Types of Male and Female Circumcision and the Physical and Psychological Complications....................... 560 A. Female Circumcision (Infibulation, Clitoridectomy, Sunna): The History, Procedures, and Complications.................................... 560 B. Routine Infant Male Circumcision: The History, Procedures, and Complications.................... 560 II. Justifications for Female and Male Circumcision....... 573 A. Cultural Justifications for Female and Male Circumcision..................................... 574 B. Male Circumcision: The Medical Justifications and Medical Counterarguments..................... 575 C. "Fitting in": Mutilating Children in the Name of Conformity....................................... 581 D. Religious Justifications for Female and Male Circumcision: To Mutilate in the Name of God..... 581 1. Legitimizing Female Circumcision Through Religion: Islam............................. 581 2. Judaism, Christianity and Female Circum- cision...................................... 583 3. Judaism and Male Circumcision: The Bible and its contradictions...................... 583 4. Islam and Male Circumcision................. 585 5. Christianity and Male Circumcision.......... 586 III. Legal Arguments Against Female and Male Circumcision.. 586 A. Legal Remedies for Female Circumcision: Utilizing International Documents, Foreign Legislation, and Domestic Legislation............................. 587 B. Legal Remedies for Male Circumcision: Utilizing International Documents, Customary International Law, and Domestic Law............................ 593 1. International Documents and Customary Inter- national Law................................ 593 2. Domestic Remedies........................... 595 C. Constitutional Issue............................. 596 1. Parental Rights and the Right to Privacy.... 596 2. Freedom of Religion--The Free Exercise Clause...................................... 598 3. Religious Freedom Restoration Act........... 600 D. Civil Lawsuits and the Informed Consent Doctrine. 603 IV. Final Recommendations................................. 604 Conclusion............................................ 612
+ B.A. 1992, Barnard College, Columbia University; J. D., May 1997, State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Law. The author gratefully acknowledges the benefit she received for discussing earlier drafts of this comment with Professor David Filvaroff and Professor Isabel Marcus.
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