“A woman who had her 13-year-old daughter’s genitalia pierced to make it uncomfortable for her to have sex was acquitted of aggravated child abuse on Thursday.
“The girl, now 16, had testified that her mother asked a friend in 2004 to shave the girl’s head to make her unattractive to boys and later held her down for the piercing.
“A jury deliberated for about three hours before deciding the mother’s actions didn’t involve punishment or malicious intent, or cause permanent damage or disfigurement.
“The 39-year-old woman, whose name is being withheld to protect her daughter’s identity, could have faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the charges.”
A few comments about this Associated Press story:
1) The mother abused her child and (brace yourself) got away with it because she’s a mother.
2) The mother claimed that the girl agreed to the abuse as part of “rebuilding her mother’s trust.” A 13-year-old is not in any position to give meaningful consent to such an act, and it’s despicable that the mother would try to use this as some sort of excuse.
3) The girl supposedly had sex with the mother’s boyfriend, and it seems that the mother abused her in large part because the mother was punishing her for being a rival. The girl said her mother did it to “to make her unattractive.”
4) Pardon me for sounding like a feminist, but it’s also despicable that the mother seems to be blaming the girl because the mom’s boyfriend statutorily raped her. That’s not her fault, that’s his fault.
5) There’s no mention of the girl’s dad in the story. Who knows, maybe he’s messed up, too. Or maybe not. But tell me, if the dad had custody of the girl, how likely do you think it is that she would be having sex with a 40 year-old man at age 13?
Fla. mother acquitted in piercing case
Associated Press, 10/26/07
NAPLES, Fla. – A woman who had her 13-year-old daughter’s genitalia pierced to make it uncomfortable for her to have sex was acquitted of aggravated child abuse on Thursday.
The girl, now 16, had testified that her mother asked a friend in 2004 to shave the girl’s head to make her unattractive to boys and later held her down for the piercing.
A jury deliberated for about three hours before deciding the mother’s actions didn’t involve punishment or malicious intent, or cause permanent damage or disfigurement.
The 39-year-old woman, whose name is being withheld to protect her daughter’s identity, could have faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the charges.
The girl was not in court for the verdict. Her guardian declined comment.
“She was trying to protect me, but it hurt me,” the girl testified earlier this week. “It not only hurt me physically, but it hurt me mentally. … That’s emotionally scarring. That’s physical abuse.”
Prosecutors said the mother called on a friend to shave the girl’s head and do the piercing after realizing that she had been having sex, including with the mother’s boyfriend.
Defense attorneys told jurors that the mother had trouble with her rebellious daughter and that the girl agreed to the piercing to help rebuild her mother’s trust. (more…)
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