Genital integrity refers to the state of intact, unaltered genitals. Circumcision, female genital mutilation, and intersex genital surgeries are all seen as attacks on an individual's genital integrity. In the case of intersex individuals, genital intergrity pertains to genitals that do not fit within sterotypical "male" or "female" ideals.
The United States is unique in its preference for compulsory circumcision of male infants making it one of the few English speaking nations where genital integrity is not the norm.
Female genital mutilation is practiced in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East and has no known medical benefit.
Children who are born intersex (with ambigous genitalia) often receive surgery as infants or children to make their genitals conform to the standards of one sex or the other.
