WMA slams Egyptian court for "female-circumcision" decision CMAJ 1997;157:865 © Canadian Medical Association The World Medical Association (WMA) recently condemned Egypt's Court of Administrative Law for overturning a ban on female circumcision. Egypt, which has one of the highest rates of female genital mutilation in the world, introduced a ban on the practice last year. The World Health Organization estimates that 97% of Egyptian girls undergo the brutal procedure. "The decision of the Egyptian court makes a mockery of the United Nations allowing the International Conference on Population to be held in Cairo," said the WMA secretary general, Dr. Ian Field. "I shall be writing to the Egyptian health minister to encourage him in his appeal [of the court's decision], and the WMA and its member associations will continue to campaign for the eradication of this practice wherever it occurs." Canada passed legislation outlawing female genital mutilation in April. Send a letter to the editor responding to this article Envoyez une lettre à la rédaction au sujet de cet article | CMAJ October 1, 1997 (vol 157, no 7) / JAMC le 1er octobre 1997 (vol 157, no 7) |