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.