(Alabama Political Reporter) Thursday, the Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill to ban female genital mutilation. While rare in the U.S., the practice is common in many African countries and parts of the Middle East. House Bill 252 is sponsored by state Rep. Rod Scott, D-Fairfield.
Scott said that the practices of female genital mutilation [have] been performed on over 200 million women and girls around the world. The girls are typically under the age of 19 when this extremely painful procedure is performed.
State Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, asked, “Is this a problem in Alabama?”
Scott replied, “I am not aware of it happening here; but it has occurred in other states — in Ohio.”
