First Lady Decries Genital Mutilation

Moved by discussions she heard during her last trip to Africa, Hillary Rodham Clinton lashed out Monday at the traditional practice of female genital mutilation, calling the custom "sometimes deadly, but always inhumane."

Mrs. Clinton, in Ghana on the first day of a 12-day presidential journey across Africa, praised this West African country for outlawing the tradition.

"I want to congratulate this nation for your leadership. Not only by passing a law outlawing this practice, but by making sure this law changes hearts and minds, so that individuals understand what the law means and why it should be enforced in every village," she told representatives of dozens of women's groups at a day-care center in Ghana's capital, Accra.

Female genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision, involves cutting part of a girl's vagina or clitoris. It is commonly practiced in many countries throughout Africa and the Middle East.

It has, in recent years, become a divisive issue in many nations. It's defended as an important rite handed down through generations to protect a girl's honor, cleanliness, and virginity, and it's criticized as an abusive custom that can lead to years of pain and medical treatment.

Aides said that while Mrs. Clinton had long been concerned with the health problems that can go along with the practice, she became increasingly interested in the issue after prominent Eritrean women talked about the custom and its effects during her visit to Africa last March.

Mrs. Clinton made her comments after being welcomed to the 31st December Women's Movement Day Care Center, named for the day President Jerry Rawlings completed his 1981 coup.

Accompanied by Ghana's first lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, Mrs. Clinton was greeted with traditional dances and poems recited by children who attend the center.

By Tim Sullivan ©1998 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed