Civilized Quote by Ashley Montagu
“Ircumcision, an archaic ritual mutilation that has no justification whatever and no place in a civilized society.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Rise of the Modern Woman, Ashley Montagu, 1971
The practice is a harmful, unnecessary tradition lacking moral justification in modern civilization.
In simple terms: Ritual mutilation is unjustified today.
Key Takeaway
Reject outdated harmful rituals.
Themes
human rights
bodily autonomy
culture
ethics
Mood
critical
serious
Type
ethical
political
When to use this quote
- medical policy
- legislation
- public health campaigns
Key Concepts
bioethics
social progress
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies phase out harmful rites?
- What legal tools protect bodily autonomy?
A Different Perspective
Cultural traditions resist change despite ethical arguments.
![“After all, [female genital mutilation is] a key pillar of institutional misogyny in Islam: its entire purpose is to deny women sexual pleasure. True, a lot of us hapless western men find we deny women sexual pleasure without even trying, but we don't demand genital mutilation to guarantee it. On…” quote by Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f52/mark-steyn-1844_civilization_after-all-female-genital-mutilation-is-a_1656323.jpg)
![“That country [Carthage] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws; and every step of intestine discord was marked by some deplorable victory of savage man over civilized society.” quote by Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/70c/edward-gibbon-710_barbarism_that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinkin_393.jpg)
