I just want to have a candid conversation about circumcision.
I know I’m not a guy and the only thing severed from me at birth was the umbilical cord, but I may give birth to a son one day so the thought has crossed my mind: will I get my new born circumcised? It is becoming less common for parents to have this procedure done but it’s so taboo that people don’t share this information, probably in fear of ridicule.
I believe circumcision was more for population control more than a religious right. Men already like to have sex like jack rabbits, so imagine ALL men running around with the nerve endings on their penis in tack. LAWD HAVE MERCY! LOL On the flip side, ladies, how would you feel if your clitorises was partially severed at birth? I am not one to believe the hype just because it was handed down from generation to generation. Are we here to think intuitively or regurgitate pseudo information? Anyway, once it’s done, it’s done and there’s no, uh, growing it back.
When I was a sophomore in college I read an article in the Men’s Health Magazine and it was the account of several men who decided to get circumcised as adults and all of them were very disappointed after the surgery. Their main complaint was in regards to sex; it just didn’t feel the same. The foreskin of the penis has a lot of nerves that intensifies the feeling during sex – but really that is the natural feeling and the circumcised feeling is unnatural right? The American Academy of Pediatrics have taken a stance…well sort of, they now neither discourage nor recommend the procedure. My bet is they don’t discourage it because it’s profitable and they don’t recommend it because they can’t validate its benefits.
The article ‘Should all Males be Circumcised?’ on menshealth.com states, “The founder of the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers (NOCIRC -- get it?) first witnessed the procedure in 1979 while training for her nurse's degree. The unlucky baby, she later wrote, was ‘strapped spread-eagle to a plastic board... struggling against his restraints -- tugging, whimpering, and then crying helplessly" while awaiting the knife. Then as the doctor, using no anesthesia, began cutting into the penis with a scalpel, "the baby began to gasp and choke, breathless from his shrill continuous screams...’
Even though the pain is evident, I can hear some women saying, “I hear an uncircumcised penis is unhealthy or it looks funny.” First of all, if a man is not hygienic, it has nothing to do with the foreskin of his penis, he’s just nasty. Secondly, if it’s funny looking before the snip, it probably will be after.
I’m definitely not telling people what to do but I would like to open up some dialogue. Let’s have a modern conversation on an ancient procedure.
I would love to hear from men who are circumcised and from those that are not. It’s definitely nothing to be ashamed of, afterall, God made us perfect. And ladies, let me know your take on uncircumcised penises. Do you have a preference? Do you have circumcised children? Any regrets or concerns?
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Here are some links and information I found:
Did you circumcise your baby boy?
yes (10,712)
40%
no (15,875)
59%
Total Votes: 26,587
(survey on about.com)
‘Circumcision!’ - http://dherbs.com/articles/circumcision-258.html
‘Care of an intact Penis’ http://pediatrics.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=pediatrics&cdn=health&tm=1065&gps=539_471_1020_431&f=00&su=p284.9.336.ip_p726.5.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.cirp.org/pages/parents/peron1/
‘Doctors Opposing Circumcision’ - http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/
Journal of the American Medical Association, ‘Circumcision in the United States’ - http://www.cirp.org/library/general/laumann/
Men’s Health, ‘Should All Males be Circumcised?’ - http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=health&category=other.diseases.ailments&conitem=6a8cd36265f1f110VgnVCM10000013281eac____
5 comments:
You might want to check out the following:
Canadian Paediatric Society
"Recommendation: Circumcision of newborns should not be routinely performed."
http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/pregnancy&babies/circumcision.htm
"Circumcision is a 'non-therapeutic' procedure, which means it is not medically necessary."
"After reviewing the scientific evidence for and against circumcision, the CPS does not recommend routine circumcision for newborn boys. Many paediatricians no longer perform circumcisions.
RACP Policy Statement on Circumcision
"After extensive review of the literature the Royal Australasian College of Physicians reaffirms that there is no medical indication for routine neonatal circumcision."
(those last nine words are in bold on their website, and almost all the men responsible for this statement will be circumcised themselves, as the male circumcision rate in Australia in 1950 was about 90%. "Routine" circumcision is now *banned* in public hospitals in Australia in all states except one.)
British Medical Association: The law and ethics of male circumcision - guidance for doctors
"to circumcise for therapeutic reasons where medical research has shown other techniques to be at least as effective and less invasive would be unethical and inappropriate."
National Health Service (UK)
"Many people have strong views about whether circumcision should be carried out or not. It is not routinely performed in the UK because there is no clear clinical evidence to suggest it has any medical benefit."
The College of Physicians & Surgeons of British Columbia
"Circumcision is painful, and puts the patient at risk for complications ranging from minor, as in mild local infections, to more serious such as injury to the penis, meatal stenosis, urinary retention, urinary tract infection and, rarely, even haemorrhage leading to death. The benefits of infant male circumcision that have been promoted over time include the prevention of urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases, and the reduction in risk of penile and cervical cancer. Current consensus of medical opinion, including that of the Canadian and American Paediatric Societies and the American Urological Society, is that there is insufficient evidence that these benefits outweigh the potential risks. That is, routine infant male circumcision, i.e. routine removal of normal tissue in a healthy infant, is not recommended."
See also:
Canadian Children's Rights Council
"It is the position of the Canadian Children's Rights Council that "circumcision" of male or female children is genital mutilation of children.
Drops in male circumcision:
USA: from 90% to 57%
Canada: from 47% to 14%
UK: from 35% to about 5% (less than 1% among non-Muslims)
Australia: 90% to 12.6% ("routine" circumcision has recently been *banned* in public hospitals in all states except one, so the rate will now be a lot lower)
New Zealand: 95% to below 3% (mostly Samoans and Tongans)
South America and Europe: never above 5%
It's worth remembering that we wouldn't even be having this discussion if it weren't for the fact that 19th century doctors thought that :
a) masturbation caused various physical and mental problems (including epilepsy, convulsions, paralysis, tuberculosis etc), and
b) circumcision stopped masturbation.
Both of those sound ridiculous today I know, but if you don't believe me, then check out this link:
A Short History of Circumcision in North America In the Physicians' Own Words
Over a hundred years later, circumcised men keep looking for new ways to defend the practice.
The record payout for a botched circumcision is $22.8 million. It was said at the time that the victim "will never be able to function sexually as a normal male and will require extensive reconstructive surgery and psychological counseling as well as lifelong urological care and treatment by infectious disease specialists."
Sure, cases like that are very rare, but why should they happen at all? If you look up the galleries of botched jobs, one thing that may surprise you is just how many jobs were botched cosmetically, rather than medically. Skin tags and skin bridges and hair growing half way up the shaft are not normal, but would not be counted as medical complications.
There is a lot of good information here, thanks. I think women are being selfish because they care about the look.
Any one feel free to correct me for what I am about to write. Circumcisions are not needed for new a born unless it is recommended for medical reasons. A circumcision is a practice by the Jews to young boys and to newborn. Many myths out here. In the United States, we do a number of things here and do not know why we do them. Here are the facts. Because of the rule and investments of other countries within the United States we have certain practices such as Why we play certain sports or why we use a standard system and not the metric system why we drive on the right side of the road and not on the left. So plain and simple Circumcision came from if Im not mistaken the Jews who’s practice became popular here n the U.S. for some reason. So there you go that’s the facts. Please deposit $50 for this knowledge. Next topic!
I'm cut and wish I wasn't. I came to my conclusion based on my own research and am convinced circumcision is a major cause of dissatisfaction. It is a shameful double standard that females are protected from genital cutting but males are snipped without much of a second thought.
Thanks for your honesty, because a lot of men believe it's their birth right to be circumcised - even though they don't know or understand the foundation of its origin. I wonder if such a procedure is part of the reason there is such a disconnect between men and women. Cutting off parts of a baby's genitalia may cause him to be defensive and to not trust others as he begins to mature. What a rude awakening that must be to have that experience upon entering the world.
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