Women who have vaginal/clitoral piercings.....

[TheFecklessFairy]

are, next month, to be classified by the Department of Health as having undergone FGM. What the actual??

I went for my booking appointment with a midwife today and was if I'd ever had "any down there lady piercings?" was definitely never asked this with my first pregnancy because I did have one then. I lied today though and said no, I took it our 4 years ago so I don't see how it's relevant.

I helped my sister fill in her notes a few weeks back, it wasnt in there then!

any down there lady piercings are those the words they used HoppityVoosh? That is probable exactly how I would describe mine but would expect a medical professional to use a slightly more medical terminology! It's like when my doctor once referred to my "front bottom"

They have been asking for a while now.
Usually it's "Are you cut down there?'.

That's shocking Hoppity. As an ex-midwife I can see that it may have an impact on delivery/tearing if a piercing is still in situ at that time. However, I assume that the vast majority of women with consensual piercings will realise that it would be best to remove them if they are in a place likely to receive trauma at delivery. Any woman who doesn't remove them prior to labour would be able to remove them during labour, so why the need to know?

Misc it is a sad state that you feel that you cannot access vital health screening in a normal way because of this new rule. This is what they need to think about and address, because the result could be tragic.

That's an entirely different question though Ottila, and asked for a genuine reason.

That's true, the odd thing is they ask white Christian women that.

The do ask for piercings and tattoos, it's the down there piercings questions that's new.

On the form in my notes it asked "Female cutting or genital piercings - Yes/No" the "down there lady piercings" was the midwife when she was going through the form. Also, she didn't ask out loud the first half of the question about cutting just the piercing bit.

Ottilia my midwife definitely didn't ask about any other piercings or tattoos.

Not something that I would do but I don't see it as FGM, if adult women choose to have such piercings.

Interestingly, my ex-husband regarded my pierced earlobes (single hole) as "mutilation".

I have never understood why anyone would want to pierce their labia, frankly. Or nipples. Just the thought of it makes me shudder. But I suppose it's a free country.

I haven't even got pierced ears. No fear of needles whatsoever, just not something I've ever wanted. The same applies to tattoos.

Not wanting to do it isn't really the point of this thread though, is it? It's a little bit more important than personal taste.

"I suppose it's a free country"

Well exactly, that's the point! It should be about upholding all peoples freedom to do what they want to their own bodies. Why is it in the slightest but ok for an authority to erode one type of persons autonomy over their own bodies... Suddenly it's fine to tell women what they can and can't do to their own bodies? But make sure that doesn't extend to men - just the ladies body autonomy!

It makes me sick to see this erosion of women's fundamental human rights, disguised as some kind of 'greater good' argument, where one set of women's freedom must be taken away, in order to 'protect' another set of women's freedom.

When it's put like that, what's the harm right?

Except, why exactly is it put like that? Why must one women's right to choose be set against another women's right not to be mutilated?

These are two unrelated concepts that have been conveniently stuck together by lazy minded people who are content to let personal taste dictate the freedom of women.