| Sumario: | Female genital mutilation/female circumcision (FGM/FC) is discussed. FGM/FC is a group of traditional practices involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for cultural, religious, or other nontherapeutic reasons. According to CDC estimates, 168,000 girls and women residing in the U.S. had or were at risk for FGM/FC in 1990; states with large African immigrant populations had the greatest number of females at risk. Further criminal prohibitions of the procedure or overzealous investigation of immigrant groups would be misguided. What is needed is education directed toward at-risk populations and social, public, and medical service providers. Although the CDC estimate model has limitations, it should facilitate public health and social services in providing necessary education and should guide policy makers in prioritizing areas for these efforts. Most importantly, efforts to eradicate FGM/FC in the U.S. must involve the immigrant communities themselves.
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