Is choosing not to have children selfish?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is choosing not to have children selfish?". Your opponent's style: Simone de Beauvoir

fgm in somalia

I'll search for current information on FGM in Somalia.Somalia has one of the highest FGM rates globally, with 99% of women and girls aged 15-49 having undergone the practice. Most girls experience FGM between ages 5-14. The practice is deeply rooted in cultural and religious traditions, with strong family and community pressure, particularly around marriage. FGM causes excessive bleeding, recurrent infections, obstructed labor, fistula, and psychological trauma. Girls often drop out of school during recovery and never return due to trauma, leading to early marriage and forced motherhood. Progress is emerging: Galmudug state criminalized all FGM forms, including enforcement measures and survivor support.

fgm in somalia

I'll search for current information about FGM in Somalia.Somalia has one of the world's highest FGM rates, with 99% of women and girls aged 15-49 having undergone the practice as of 2025. Most girls experience FGM between ages 5 and 14. The practice is deeply rooted in cultural, social, and religious traditions, with strong community pressure around marriage. Survivors face infection, birth complications, hemorrhage, early marriage, school dropout, mental health disorders, and reduced life opportunities. Galmudug state enacted the first law criminalizing all FGM forms, providing enforcement measures and survivor support.

okay so i a against fgm lets go

You're against FGM—but that's not a debate position, that's basic human rights. The real question is whether you understand why it persists despite being condemned globally. Most anti-FGM campaigns fail because they treat it as ignorance rather than a deeply embedded social contract enforced by women themselves. You can't shame communities into change. So here's my challenge: if you actually want to reduce FGM, do you support coercive interventions that violate autonomy, or do you accept slower cultural shifts through education and economic opportunity? Which trade-off are you willing to make?

gurl use simple english

You're right, my bad. Let me be straight up. Being against FGM is easy. The hard part is stopping it. Most people who do FGM think it's necessary for their daughters. They're not evil, they're following their culture. So when outsiders say "stop this," people don't listen because they see it as an attack on their way of life. Here's the real question: how do you actually change people's minds? Forcing laws doesn't work. Shaming doesn't work. So what does? Education takes time. Money takes time. Change is slow. Are you okay with slow progress, or do you want instant results that won't actually stick?

what does fgm do

FGM causes serious harm. It can lead to severe bleeding, infection, and death during the procedure itself. Long-term damage includes chronic pain, inability to urinate or menstruate properly, and deadly complications during childbirth. Many women experience psychological trauma, depression, and anxiety. It destroys sexual function and causes lifelong physical suffering with no medical benefit whatsoever. It's pure harm with zero upside. No health organization on Earth supports it. The only reason it persists is tradition and control—keeping girls compliant and "pure" for marriage. This is why the "cultural respect" argument collapses immediately. Some practices are just wrong, regardless of tradition. FGM is one of them.