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Kentucky · Snapshot 09/05/2026

KRS 508.125: Female genital mutilation.

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Where this section sits in the code
  1. KRS Chapter 508

(1) As used in this section, "female genital mutilation" means a procedure that involves

the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or any procedure harmful

to the female genitalia, including but not limited to:

(a) A clitoridectomy;

(b) The partial or total removal of the clitoris or the prepuce;

(c) The excision or the partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora,

with or without excision of the labia majora;

(d) The infibulation or the narrowing of the vaginal orifice with the creation of a

covering seal by cutting and appositioning of the labia minora or the labia

majora, with or without the excision of the clitoris;

(e) Pricking, piercing, incising, scraping, or cauterizing the genital area; or

(f) Any other action to pur posely alter the structure or function of the female

genitalia for a nonmedical reason.

(2) A person is guilty of female genital mutilation when:

(a) The person knowingly performs female genital mutilation on another person

under eighteen (18) years of age;

(b) The person is a parent, guardian, or has immediate custody or control of a

person under eighteen (18) years of age and knowingly consents to or permits

female genital mutilation of such person; or

(c) The person knowingly removes or causes or permits the removal of a person

under eighteen (18) years of age from Kentucky for the purposes of

performance of female genital mutilation of the person.

(3) It is not a defense to female genital mutilation that the conduct under subsection (2)

of this section is:

(a) Required as a matter of religion, custom, ritual, or standard practice; or

(b) Consented to by the individual on whom it is performed or the individual's

parent or guardian.

(4) A surgical procedure is not a violation of subsection (1) of this section if the

procedure is:

(a) Necessary to the health of the person on whom it is performed and is

performed by a person licensed in the place of its performance as a health care

provider; or

(b) Performed on a person in labor or who has just given birth and is performed

for medical purposes connected with that labor or birth by a person licensed in

the place of its performance as a health care provider.

(5) Female genital mutilation is a Class B felony.

Collected 2026-09-05T21:00:01Z. Source file · JSON

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