By Equality Now
On 26 April 2010, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a “Policy Statement – Ritual Genital Cutting of Female Minors” that in effect promotes changes in US federal and state laws to “enable[] pediatricians to reach out to families by offering a ritual nick” such as “pricking or incising the clitoral skin to satisfy cultural requirements.” FGM is a harmful traditional practice with serious health risks and is acknowledged internationally as a human rights violation and an extreme form of discrimination against women and girls. Equality Now urges the AAP to retract the portions of its Statement that in effect promote changes in US federal and state laws to enable physicians to “nick” girls’ genitalia.
Below is a form letter that you can send simply by writing your name and email address. We believe that individual letters can often have more impact than “form” ones and we encourage you to customize your email messages and letters if you have time. Equally, if you send the letter yourself rather than through Equality Now, it is possible that it could be noticed more easily. We invite you to customize and submit the letters below (that Equality Now will send on your behalf), or to customize, print and mail these sample letters that we have created for your convenience.
Below is a form letter that you can send simply by writing your name and email address. We believe that individual letters can often have more impact than “form” ones and we encourage you to customize your email messages and letters if you have time. Equally, if you send the letter yourself rather than through Equality Now, it is possible that it could be noticed more easily. We invite you to customize and submit the letters below (that Equality Now will send on your behalf), or to customize, print and mail these sample letters that we have created for your convenience.
Errol R. Alden, M.D.
FAAP, Executive Director/CEO, American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Blvd
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-1019, USA
141 Northwest Point Blvd
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-1019, USA
Alan R. Cohen, M.D.
Chair, The American Board of Pediatrics
111 Silver Cedar Court
Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
111 Silver Cedar Court
Chapel Hill, NC 27514, USA
Kevin B. Weiss, M.D., MPH
President and CEO, American Board of Medical Specialties
222 North LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60601, USA
222 North LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60601, USA
