Why Does the Doctor Charged in America's First FGM Case Still Have Her Medical License?
Is the medical system supporting female genital cutting?
In 2017, federal prosecutors charged Detroit emergency physician Dr. Jumana Nagarwala with performing female genital mutilation on young girls, some of whom had been driven across state lines from Minnesota to a Michigan clinic,1 in the first federal FGM prosecution in United States history.2 A year later, a federal judge threw out the core FGM charges, ruling that Congress had exceeded its power under the Commerce Clause when it first criminalized FGM in 1996.3
The case was such a failure that it ended the 1996 federal FGM ban.4 Not only did the doctor evade legal consequences, she still practices medicine today. Public records indicate Dr. Jumana Nagarwala still holds an active Michigan medical license (License No. 4301071795), valid through 2026, with no public record of discipline or suspension.5
Why does the doctor are the center of the landmark case that legalized female genital cutting in the United States still have her medical license?
There is no question that Dr. Jumana Nagarwala practiced female genital cutting. Rather than dispute the allegations, Dr. Nagarwala defense argued federal law was unconstitutional.6 Alan Dershowitz, the Harvard law professor who represented Jeffrey Epstein,7 consulted for the defense team and was prepared to argue that the Dawoodi Bohra community should be allowed to practice female genital cutting because the type they practice, what the World Health Organization classifies as Type I FGM,8 is merely a “symbolic pin prick” that is less harmful than male circumcision and part of their “religious freedom.”91011
Medical organization have already issued statements supporting legalizing female genital cutting. In 2010, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a policy statement proposing that U.S. physicians be allowed to perform a “ritual nick” on girls’ genitals.12 The statement was withdrawn only after public backlash.13 The “ritual nick” described in that policy statement is similar to the kind practiced by the Dawoodi Bohra and Dr. Jumana Nagarwala.
For years, Intactivists and other against circumcision have warned that the American medicine would attempt to normalize female genital cutting with the same methods they use to defend male genital cutting. The fact that Dr. Jumana Nagarwala still has her medical license suggests that medical organizations are integrating female genital cutting into the medical community and engaged in a soft-legalization of FGM through non-enforcement.
Despite acknowledging receipt of multiple requests for comment, The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and the Michigan Bureau of Professional Licensing did not respond.
United States Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. “Detroit Emergency Room Doctor Arrested and Charged with Performing Female Genital Mutilation.” The United States Department of Justice, 13 Apr. 2017, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/detroit-emergency-room-doctor-arrested-and-charged-performing-female-genital-mutilation.
Time. “Federal Judge Rules U.S. Ban on Female Genital Mutilation Is Unconstitutional.” Time, 21 Nov. 2018, https://time.com/5460982/michigan-judge-female-genital-mutilation-ban-unconstitutional/. (Describes the Nagarwala case as the first federal prosecution of FGM in the U.S.)
“United States v. Nagarwala, et al., Order Granting Motions to Dismiss FGM Counts (Nov. 20, 2018).” United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan (PDF hosted by The Detroit News), 20 Nov. 2018, https://content-static.detroitnews.com/pdf/2018/US-v-Nagarwala-dismissal-order-11-20-18.pdf.
PBS NewsHour. “Why the U.S. Ban on Female Genital Mutilation Was Ruled Unconstitutional.” PBS NewsHour, 3 Dec. 2018, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/why-the-u-s-ban-on-female-genital-mutilation-was-ruled-unconstitutional.
Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. “Licensee Detail: Jumana Fakhruddin Nagarwala, Medical Doctor, License No. 4301071795.” Accela Citizen Access, https://aca-prod.accela.com/MILARA/GeneralProperty/LicenseeDetail.aspx?LicenseeNumber=4301071795&LicenseeType=Medical+Doctor. Accessed 22 Dec. 2025.
CNN. “Michigan doctors charged in genital mutilation case.” CNN, 25 Apr. 2017, https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/22/health/detroit-genital-mutilation-charges/index.html
Wikipedia. “Alan Dershowitz.” Wikipedia, accessed 22 Dec. 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Dershowitz.
World Health Organization. “Female Genital Mutilation.” World Health Organization, 31 Jan. 2025, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation.
The Washington Times. “Alan Dershowitz enlisted for female genital mutilation case, will aid Detroit defense team.” The Washington Times, 2 June 2017, https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jun/2/alan-dershowitz-enlisted-for-female-genital-mutila/.
Global Citizen. "FGM in the US: The Hidden Crime Next Door." Global Citizen, 6 Feb. 2018, https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/fgm-among-us-united-states/.
Bustle. "The First Female Genital Mutilation Prosecution In America Is A Chilling Reminder It Happens Here, Too." Bustle, 21 May 2018, https://www.bustle.com/p/the-first-female-genital-mutilation-prosecution-in-america-is-a-chilling-reminder-it-happens-here-too-8058419.
American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Bioethics. “Ritual Genital Cutting of Female Minors.” Pediatrics, vol. 125, no. 5, May 2010, pp. 1088–1093, https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2010-0187.
American Academy of Pediatrics. “AAP Withdraws Policy Statement on Female Genital Cutting.” American Academy of Pediatrics, 26 May 2010, https://www.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/aap/2010/aap-withdraws-female-genital-cutting-policy-statement/.