Genital modification and mutilation
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221047398
2008-06-22T20:44:33Z
RJFerret
1714636
/* Labia pulling */ +labia stretching
{{Refimprove|date=December 2007}}
The terms '''genital modification''' and '''genital mutilation''' can refer to permanent or temporary changes to [[human]] [[genitals]]. Some forms of genital alteration are performed at the behest of an adult, with his or her full and informed consent. Others are performed by adults on other individuals, often infants or children, without the latter's consent, and often by force. Any of these procedures may be considered modifications or mutilations by different groups of people.
==Body modification==
{{main|Body modification}}
Many types of genital modification are performed at the behest of the individual, for personal, sexual, aesthetic or cultural reasons. [[Subincision]], or splitting of the underside of the penis, is widespread in the traditional cultures of [[Indigenous Australian]]s. This procedure has taken root in [[Western culture|Western]] [[body modification]] culture. [[Meatotomy]] is a form that involves splitting of the [[glans penis]] alone, while [[genital bisection]] is a more extreme form that splits the penis entirely in half.
[[Genital piercing]]s and [[genital tattooing]] may be performed for [[aesthetic]] reasons, while piercings may have the additional benefit of increasing [[sexual pleasure]] for the pierced individual or their [[sex partner]]s. Similarly, [[Pearling (body modification)|Pearling]] involves surgical insertion of small, inert spheres around the vaginal or anal opening, often for the purpose of providing sexual pleasure to insertive sex partners.
[[Clitoris enlargement]] may be achieved temporarily through the use of a [[clitoral pump]], or it may be achieved permanently through application of [[testosterone]] cream to the clitoris, or through injectable testosterone. [[Penis enlargement]] is a term for various techniques used to attempt to increase the size of the penis, though the safety and efficacy of these techniques are debated.
==Voluntary sex reassignment==
{{main|Sex reassignment surgery}}
Some [[transsexual]] people choose to undergo [[sex reassignment surgery]] as part of their [[gender transition]]. [[Transwomen]] may undergo [[castration]], with or without [[vaginoplasty]], while female-to-male transsexuals may undergo [[phalloplasty]] or [[metoidioplasty]], with or without [[oophorectomy]] or [[hysterectomy]].
==Involuntary sex assignment==
{{Main|Sex assignment}}
If a [[baby]] is born with ambiguous genitalia due to an [[intersex]] condition, it may not be clear whether the child is female or male. In certain cases, the child's chromosomal makeup is neither female nor male, but a combination. In these cases, the baby is usually given a sex assignment, and in many cases, the child's genitals are surgically altered to conform to those of the assigned sex. This practice is met with strong dissent from advocates for [[genital integrity]]. As cosmetic surgery is not medically necessary for health, they argue that the individual should be free to make the choice whether to pursue cosmetic surgery upon their genitals. Advocates state that the surgery can damage the individual's ability to experience sexual arousal and can render the individual incapable of orgasm. Another concern is that sex assignment holds a significant element of guesswork, and that an individual's sex assignment may turn out to be incorrect. If, for instance, an individual is assigned female, their phallus is usually surgically reduced in size, and the shape of a vulva may be created. If, upon maturing, the individual identifies as male; their phallus is still gone, and the individual may require further surgery to try to reverse the erroneous sex assignment. Those who oppose medically unnecessary genital surgery, and genital surgery coerced or performed without consent comprise the [[genital integrity]] movement. The case of [[David Reimer]], the victim of a botched [[circumcision]] who was raised as a girl alongside his twin brother, bears many parallels to this issue.
==In the context of disease or medical necessity==
If the genitals become diseased, as in the case of [[cancer]], sometimes the diseased areas are surgically removed. Biological females may undergo [[vaginectomy]], while males may undergo [[penectomy]]. [[Reconstructive surgery]] may be performed to restore what was lost, often with techniques similar to those used in [[sex reassignment surgery]].
Similarly, during [[childbirth]], [[episiotomy]] is sometimes performed to increase the amount of space through which the [[baby]] may emerge. Advocates of [[natural childbirth]] and [[unassisted birth]] state that this intervention is often performed without medical necessity, with significant damage to the person giving birth.
[[Hymenotomy]] is the surgical perforation of an [[imperforate hymen]]. It may be performed to allow [[menstruation]] to occur. An adult individual may opt for increasing the size of their hymenal opening, or removal of the hymen altogether, to facilitate [[sexual penetration]] of their vagina.
==Female genitals==
===Female genital cutting===
{{Main|Female genital cutting}}
[[Female genital cutting]], also known as female genital mutilation or female circumcision, refers to "all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external [[female genitalia]] or other injury to the female [[sex organ|genital organs]] whether for [[culture|cultural]], [[religion|religious]] or other non-therapeutic reasons."<ref name="WHO-2006-10-02" /> It is not the same as the procedures used in [[Sex reassignment surgery|gender reassignment surgery]] or the [[genital modification]] of [[intersexual]]s. FGC is practiced throughout the world, but the practice is concentrated more heavily in [[Africa]], [[Indonesia]], and the [[Middle East]]. The [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) separates FGC procedures into four categories: Type I, II, III, and IV. There is much controversy surrounding Type III (Infibulation) due to concerns regarding the safety and consequences of the procedure. In the past several decades, there have been pushes by global health organizations, such as the WHO, to end the practice of FGC. However, due to its importance in [[tradition]]al and religious life, the practice remains in many societies.
===Hymenorrhaphy===
[[Hymenorrhaphy]] refers to the practice of thickening the hymen, or, in some cases, implanting a capsule of red liquid within the newly-created vaginal tissue. The newly-created hymen is created to cause physical resistance, blood, or the appearance of blood, at the time that the individual's new husband inserts his penis into her vagina. This is done in cultures where a high value is placed on female [[virginity]] at the time of marriage. In these cultures, a woman may be punished, perhaps violently, if the community leaders deem that she was not virginal at the time of [[consummate|consummation]] of her marriage. Individuals who survive [[rape]], who were virginal at the time of their rape, may elect for hymenorrhaphy.
===Vaginoplasty===
Genetically, females who are displeased with the shape of their [[vulva]]s may choose to undergo [[vaginoplasty]] or [[labiaplasty]]. The concept of a "designer vagina" is one that has been surgically altered to meet aesthetic standards. The surgery itself is controversial. Opponents view the demand for this type of surgery as being driven by unattainable bodily ideals, perhaps popularized by the appearance of the genitals of [[pornographic actor|performers in pornography]].
===Labia pulling===
See [[labia stretching]] and [[elongated labia]].
==Male circumcision==
{{Main|Circumcision}}
Male circumcision involves the removal of the [[foreskin]]. It may also involve [[frenectomy]], the removal of the [[frenulum]]. A related procedure is [[preputioplasty]], which is used as a treatment for [[phimosis]]. This procedure is most often performed upon infant boys. It has religious significance in the [[Jewish]] religion and in Islam. It spread into Western culture, and peaked in the early 80s. The [[bioethics of neonatal circumcision]] are a subject of intense debate, with [[circumcision advocacy|circumcision advocates]] promoting it as beneficial, and supporters of [[genital integrity]] opposing it as a violation of the individual's human rights. Some adults who were circumcised as infants engage in [[foreskin restoration]], a method of stretching the penile skin in order to partially recreate the foreskin. [[Autocircumcision]] is a related practice of training the foreskin to remain in a retracted position, giving the look of a circumcised penis to one which is intact.
{{Urogenital surgical and other procedures}}
[[Category:Genital modification]]
[[fr:Mutilation génitale]]
[[pt:Mutilação sexual]]
[[fi:Naisten sukupuolielinten silpominen]]
[[sv:Könsstympning]]