Right to Choose

I think there are universal human rights. I can understand the argument of cultural relativism when it comes to human rights and I think it is okay to take them into consideration, but it should not be an umbrella excuse for inaction. In the case of female genital mutilation I understand that it is a cultural practice. If all the women who went through these procedures were happy about it then I'd just say, sure, that's their culture and leave them be. But in reality that is not really the case. This happening to the majority of those women against their will. That's when it becomes a human right's issue. I think that should be the standard used to measure certain instances in whether or not cultural relativism should come into play. It may be tradition, but are the people involved making the choice to be a part of it?