clitoridectomy

clitoridectomy /clit·o·ri·dec·to·my/ (klit″ah-rĭ-dek´tah-me) excision of the clitoris.

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clit·o·ri·dec·to·my (kltr--dkt-m, kltr-)

n.

Excision of the clitoris.

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Clitoridectomy

A procedure where the clitoris and possibly some of the surrounding labial tissue at the opening of the vagina is cut away.

Mentioned in: Female Genital Mutilation

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clitoridectomy

[klit′əridek′təmē]

the excising of all or part of the clitoris, and sometimes part of the labia, a form of ritual mutilation performed on over 100 million girls and women in more than 40 countries. It is usually performed at 4 to 12 years of age, without anesthesia, with crude cutting tools, and with few or no precautions against infection. The reasons for this ancient practice are very complex, including the male desire to control female sexuality. As of June 1996, the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals recognized genital mutilation as a form of persecution and a basis for asylum for girls and women. In the United States itself an estimated 40,000 immigrant girls are clitoridectomized every year; federal legislation is pending to prohibit the practice, which several states have outlawed already. Defenders of clitoridectomy sometimes refer to it as "female circumcision," a deliberately misleading euphemism that should be avoided. See also female genital mutilation.

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clitoridectomy

excision of the clitoris.

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clitoridectomy

Human rights A type of ♀ circumcision. See Female circumcision. Cf Infibulation.

Clitoridectomy types

I  Partial or total clitoris removed-likened to penis amputation

II  Clitoridectomy and partial labia minora excision

The wound is closed with thread, grass, or other suture materials, or with a poultice

Clitoridectomy is deeply rooted in the culture of certain African countries, and symbolizes societal control over a woman's sexuality (NEJM 1994; 331:712sa)