The X-rated phenomenon of genital piercing came under stealth attack Wednesday when state representatives voted to make the practice illegal for women — but not men.
The ban was a last-minute add-on to a bill outlawing involuntary genital female mutilation, an ancient ritual practiced by some cultures.
Several senators pushed for the Senate bill that was amended in the House after hearing about a 2-year-old girl from Gwinnett County who was taken by her father to have the procedure done. But the bill passed Wednesday goes much further — ending the voluntary, decorative piercings that have been highlighted on HBO specials and in urban subculture.
“The original intent of the amendment was to make illegal the voluntary piercing of female genitalia for decorative purposes,” said Rep. Bill Heath (R-Bremen).
Heath said that while some piercings do fall under the category of involuntary genital mutilation, he is fine with banning the voluntary procedures as well. “I just don’t think it’s appropriate,” Heath said.
First, a couple of points to frame my response. (1) I have no tatoos or piercings (unless you cound a pierced ear from college which has long since closed over). (2) I am a former child welfare investigator who considers himself a strong advocate for the protection of children. That said, where does Rep. Bill Heath (R-Bremen) get off trying to do this sort of end-run?
Involuntary circumcision (male or female) is barbaric. So, I get the reason this bill was initially put forward. Ostensibly, this bill protects children until they are adults and have the intellectual capacity to choose whether or not they wish to follow the cultural traditions of their forebears.
If this is where the bill stopped (and it covered male circumcision as well) I’d be trumpeting this effort. However, isn’t it odd/funny that the same bill that seeks to protect children until adulthood would also seek to actively restrict their choices regarding the same issue when they become adults? Actually, it is not so odd.
Lawmakers have long misused real issues to push forward pet issues as “riders” on the original bill. It is unfortunate when elected officials will only pay attention to issues like involuntary circumcision when it allows them to tack on an issue which is, at best, only superficially related. Not only are these riders duplicitous and underhanded, it demeans and diminishes the problem the original legislation sought to resolve - in this case, the muilation of young girls.
Representative Heath does not like genital piercings. I get that. Frankly, they give me the willies a bit as well. That said, I would never presume to legislate what my fellow Americans may, as adults, do with their genitals alone or with another consenting adult.
Write Representative Heath and let him know his piercing rider is sexist and wrong. If he feels so strongly that his constituents will support such a ban, then he needs to present it on it’s own merits and not as a rider on legislation actually designed to preserve and protect freedom.
Thanks to Hawk for the heads up on this issue.
They’ve rocked your stereo, they’ve rocked your TV, and now the self-proclaimed “greatest band on earth” plans to rock the big screen.