Excerpt:
The Michigan House on Thursday approved bipartisan legislation that would create a new 15-year state felony for female genital mutilation, extend the statute of limitations for victims and revoke the medical license of doctors who perform the procedure.
The vote came a day after a federal prosecutor said as many as 100 girls may have had their genitalia mutilated during a 12-year conspiracy involving three Metro Detroit doctors. The trio was charged last month in a case involving two 7-year-old girls from Minnesota.
"Due to the secretive nature of this procedure, we may never know how many are actually affected by this brutal and inhumane act," said sponsoring state Rep. Michele Hoitenga, R-Manton.