In February, the World Health Organization estimated that 3 million girls worldwide are circumcised every year. Approximately 100 to 140 million females are living with genital mutilation. Mainly practiced in Africa and the Middle East, this procedure is performed to discourage promiscuity and promote fidelity.

Because such mutilation is banned by federal law in the United States, families in some cultures send their daughters overseas to undergo the ritual. To prevent such scenarios, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a statement in support of a domestic procedure that would prevent girls from being circumcised in dangerous and unsanitary conditions. According to the AAP, immigrants should be allowed a “ritual nick” instead of full genital cutting.

Not surprisingly, the AAP has received much criticism for supporting this procedure. Anti-circumcision groups such as Intact America have protested against the AAP’s statement and the barbaric practice. In its defense, the academy replied that the decision was based on cultural sensitivity as well as in the interest of innocent girls.

Initially, I was infuriated with the AAP’s point of view. How could anyone support a procedure that steals a girl’s sexuality? Unlike male circumcision, female circumcision has no medical benefits and can cause serious medical problems, such as infertility, bladder problems and complications during childbirth. Additionally, sex becomes extremely painful.

After researching the issue, I now understand the AAP’s perspective. Female genital mutilation is an ancient practice that can be traced back thousands of years. In some African and Middle Eastern cultures, female circumcision is considered to be a rite of passage. This procedure has become so ingrained that many women don’t know why the practice was started in the first place.

To put it bluntly, the AAP does not want to offend immigrants or risk losing precious lives. Unfortunately, I am inclined to agree with the AAP. In Africa and the Middle East, female circumcision is usually performed by an elderly woman with no medical training. During most procedures, young girls are not given anesthesia. Non-surgical tools such as knives and shards of glass are used for the procedure, and many girls die in the process.

The U.S. can offer a safer way to practice their culture by providing proper surgical tools, anesthesia and professional doctors who can perform a similar procedure in a more humane manner.

As much as I would like to see the practice completely disappear, I know that a universal ban on circumcision is unrealistic. At the end of the day, I would rather have a girl be safely circumcised in America than to die a slow, painful death in her homeland.