November 17, 2017

State Representative Janel Brandtjen

Combating Female Genital Mutilation in Wisconsin

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is an absolutely barbaric and heinous act that targets innocent young girls. Most of the time, the victims are between the ages of five to twelve. The vast majority of these procedures are done without a serious medical reason, and are simply aimed at depriving the victim from ever experiencing sexual pleasure throughout her life. It is indeed castration for women, and young girls are the targets.

Though the practice is prohibited under federal law, that doesn't mean it's not happening. According to the Centers for Disease Control, an estimated 513,000 women and girls in the United States are at risk of falling victim to FGM. Michigan, in particular, has become a hotspot for this appalling crime.

A bill that I'm working on aims to increase the punishments for those involved in perpetrating this despicable act. Namely, the parents/ guardians of the victim who request or knowingly permit the procedure, the physician who performs the procedure, and anyone who knowingly transports the victim to the location the procedure takes place will be subject to prosecution.

FGM has no place in a civilized society such as ours, one that highly values and protects the rights of woman of all ages. This bill will increase protection for young girls across this state, and will hold those who violate their body fully accountable. The bill imposes harsher penalties in three ways:

• Anyone found guilty of performing the procedure on a female minor will be subject to up to 25 years in prison and/ or a $100,000 fine. In addition, any allegations of a physician performing these procedures will be treated as an allegation of unprofessional conduct.

• Any parents/ guardians of a female minor found guilty of requesting or knowingly permitting the procedure will be subject to up to 25 years in prison and/ or a $100,000 fine.

• Anyone found guilty of knowingly transporting a female minor to the location the procedure took place will be subject to up to six years in prison and/ or a $10,000 fine.

The Wisconsin state government's first priority is the protection of it's citizens, and that includes the most vulnerable among us. I hope this bill sends a clear message that this type of horrid abuse will not be tolerated in our great state.

Blue Books Still Available

Every biennium, the State of Wisconsin issues a "blue book" that contains a variety of information regarding our state, including information on all the elected officials and various statistics that show Wisconsin is a great place to live. In them, you will find information regarding agriculture, business, state exports, population demographics, and much more. Each legislator gets a sizeable quantity for their constituents.

For those of you in the 22nd Assembly District, please e-mail your name and address to Rep.Brandtjen@legis.wisconsin.gov or call (608) 267-2367 if you wish to receive a blue book. For those of you outside the district, contact your representative or senator, and they will be more than happy to send you a blue book.

Happy Thanksgiving

As Thanksgiving is a time of reflection, I wanted to say how thankful I am to God for my family, how thankful I am to live in the great nation of ours, and how thankful I am to serve the 22nd Assembly District. I have truly been blessed in my life. I view my time serving the district with great fondness, and am truly thankful that you all have given me to opportunity to do so.

I sincerely hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving holiday, and that it's filled with the blessings of family and friends.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and God Bless Wisconsin!

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