Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a barbaric practice that should be banned throughout the world. According to the Population Reference Bureau, the number of girls at risk of FGM — roughly 500,000 — has more than doubled in the United States since 2000.

Last month, representatives in Congress introduced the Zero Tolerance for FGM Act.  Similarly, representatives in Olympia introduced a bill (HB 1423) to criminalize FGM in our state, require reporting of instances to authorities and require prosecutors to keep annual statistics. That information would help our state determine the extent of the problem and determine the best strategy to end the cruel and painful practice.

Yes, believe it or not, our state has not yet outlawed FGM. You may be even more shocked to learn that Redmond’s Rep. Roger Goodman (45th Legislative District) refused to give HB 1423 a public hearing in his Public Safety committee. Thus, the bill died.

If there were any bill this year or any other year that deserved a thorough hearing and unanimous support in both houses, it is a bill to ban FGM. It is unconscionable that Goodman ignored this bill and continued to allow the lives of thousands of girls in our state to be endangered.

But it gets worse. Goodman also voted against HB 1476, which would have ended an exemption in state law that allows members of one and only one religion — Christian Scientists — to let their children, including infants, die without medical treatment. Other than the blatantly unconstitutional preferential treatment of one religion over others, this exemption is nothing but a green light for child neglect. But apparently Goodman put the dangerous and backwards practices of a declining religion above the rights of defenseless children.

I recommend that everyone in the 45th Legislative District who cares about protecting the lives of children, especially girls at risk of FGM, think twice about re-electing Roger Goodman.

Matthew Barry,

Issaquah