Excerpt:
Two Republican state senators have introduced legislation to make female genital mutilation a felony crime under state law, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The move comes as federal authorities prosecute two Metro Detroit doctors for alleged genital mutilation performed in a clinic with ties to a Farmington Hills mosque. Female genital mutilation is illegal under federal law.
But bill sponsors say the state needs its own tougher statute outlawing the practice to ensure that future female circumcisions do not occur in Michigan. It would join 24 other states that have laws against genital mutilation.