I think calling it "genital mutilation" is definitely very loaded. It's a shock term.

I do believe, though, that holding a girl down and cutting off her labia/etc with a dull blade is terrible. Doing it in a medically safe way, however, is her right. If women want it performed, because it is a part of their culture and their beliefs then who am I to judge them and stop them?

Western society is so incredibly ethnocentric (not that others aren't).

I did AIDS education work for a while with the Maasai in Tanzania, and I talked to several women about it. While some didn't want it done, many did, as it made them feel proud. They saw it as a sign of power and strength that they went through with it. I would be lying if I said I really understood them or their reasons, but I tried my best not to judge.

I always refer to it as "Female circumcision," but here in the US I've gotten crap for that.