Doctor Accused Of Genital Mutilations Enters Not-Guilty Plea

DETROIT (AP) — A not-guilty plea has been entered for a Detroit-area doctor charged with performing genital mutilation on two Minnesota girls in a first-of-its-kind case in the United States.

Dr. Jumana Nagarwala appeared in Detroit federal court Thursday, a day after being indicted.

She's charged with six crimes, including conspiracy to bring the girls across state lines. It carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Nagarwala is charged with performing genital mutilation on the two 7-year-old girls in February at a suburban Detroit clinic owned by another doctor, who also is charged.

Nagarwala and the Minnesota girls' families belong to a Muslim sect called Dawoodi Bohra. Defense attorney Shannon Smith says she performed a religious ritual, not genital mutilation.

Separately, Henry Ford Hospital says Nagarwala has been fired.

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