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Committee Approves Plan To Bar Female Genital Mutilation

Associated Press0

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A state House committee has approved a proposal that would ban female genital mutilation in South Dakota.

The House Health and Human Services Committee on Thursday unanimously passed the measure to make it a felony to perform such procedures in the state.

Republican Rep. Lynne DiSanto says she’s offering the proposal because a group that works with women informed her there’s no state law prohibiting genital mutilation.

She says making a specific state law adds a greater level of protection. Her bill would also make it a felony for a parent to consent for an underage girl to undergo such procedures even if they occur outside the state.

A state analysis has found no prosecutions of genital mutilation under federal law and one in the states that ban the practice.

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