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Sunday, November 14, 2010

What's YOUR Take On Circumcision?


An initiative has been proposed to make it illegal to circumcise any boy under the age of 18. In the unlikely event that the measure will be passed, excising or cutting any part of the male foreskin will be punishable as a misdemeanor that may include jail time and a lofty fine.

  Circumcision is a fairly common practice, with about half of Americans undergoing the procedure prior to their first birthday. It is mandated by some religions and prohibited by others, the practice going back at least 4000 years in written history. Whether for religious, cleanliness, or aesthetic reasons, a large number of parents opt to make the decision to remove part or all of their sons' foreskins when they are infants. But does the commonality of the cut make it right?

  CDC reports have claimed that unclipped males do have higher incidences of STIs, HPV, and HIV. whether this is due to inherent cleanliness or random selection is not known. It is known that uncircumcised boys do have higher numbers of youthful urinary tract infections (12 times higher according to the Canadian Paediatric Society) and that some of those can be fatal. On the other hand, there have been cases of scarring and other complications in hospital circumcisions. There is no such thing as a perfect surgery, no matter how minor it may appear to be.

  The San Francisco initiative makes no exceptions for religion or any other reason. As such, I'm left to wonder whether or not boys who have excessively tight foreskins that can result in pain or Peyronies Disease or persistent UTIs (one of my cousins was circumcised for this reason at 3) will be prohibited from remedy or will they be required to suffer because one man was angry that his parents snipped him 50 years ago.

  I can see reasonable arguments for and against circumcision as a practice. I know several guys who have had it done as adults and reported that it wasn't too horrific so I would probably leave it to my kid to choose at an age where he can consent. However, I think an age of 18 is arbitrary and that governmental intervention could backfire in this case. To begin with, you will have countless lawsuits from religious practitioners that will clog the courts ad infinitum. Also, the government already interferes with parenting far too much and I'm wondering where the next decision will lead- will people who wish they'd never been born be able to sue for Wrongful Birth?

  I think that the government needs to stay out of this, at least for the time being. Anti-circumcision activists have done far more in reducing the practice through education than regulation. I personally find piercing infants' ears at least as objectionable, but I'm not going to try to make it illegal because it is your decision. If you do not want to circumcise your sons, don't.

 

10 comments:

  1. You blog like a true American. Un-Circumcision also increases the cases of cervical Cancer in women. There has to be a point where the Government minds it's own damn business.Instead of worrying about our male's genitalia, they need to get rid of some of the Pricks in the Government.

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  2. "wrongful birth" - I like the idea..

    I dont know about the health issue. there are conflicting studies all the time. However, the religious aspect of it will ensure that such laws cannot pass.

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  3. Great post! Here is some more info for readers:

    Male infant circumcision has many great benefits that parents should consider. Benefits of circumcision include reduced risk of STD infections - 28% for herpes, 35% for HPV & 60% for HIV / AIDS, 12x less likely for UTI and +22x less likely for cancer. 

    More facts about circumcision can be found at the following sites: 

    http://j.mp/4qjDft  (Mayo Clinic)

    http://j.mp/3WuSND  (FamilyDoctor.org)

    http://j.mp/SGumR  (CDC)

    http://j.mp/19tNAV  (MediCirc)

    http://j.mp/KX0KG  (WHO/UNAIDS)

    http://j.mp/iQZbx  (CircInfo)

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  4. I believe the government needs to stay out of it! I think being a parent you have decisions to make for your child. Be it religion, health, or whatever reason, part of being a parent is making decisions for your child. If not, why not let them do drugs & vote while your at it??
    It's unfortunate that you need a license to drive & you need to be a certain age to drink but in this society there is no 'rule' or 'law' on whether your fit or of age to be a parent!?!? But that is a whole other subject.
    Being a parent myself, i feel i'm of sound mind to make certain decisions for my kids and when they are of age they can & will be ready to make their own.
    Big brother in this instance is getting a little to close to the family environment if you ask me

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  5. totally up to the parents involved. As a circumcised gay male I am glad my parents made the decision cause the amount of unhygienic foreskins I have come across in my time I think all males should be cut. I have a friend who is a red head, he has white skin very freckly red hair on his head, legs and pubic hair,he is also uncircumcised, I once had a conversation with im about the odor he has on his foreskin (he is a str8 male),he says that no matter how much he showers or keeps clean he always has a dirty foreskin, and he is the most clean guy i know,always clean cut shaved showered and looking nice.
    So even the most clean men can have problems with foreskins. You don't remember it as your so young and the benefits are for life..

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  6. It's a stupid unnecessary practice & the USA is one of the only developed countries that still does this. If the piece of skin wasn't meant to be there, the kid wouldn't be born with it there. Seriously, mother nature (or God or whom ever u want to accredit it to) wouldn't just add an extra piece of skin to give doctors something to do. It's as unnecessary as.... say we start cutting off earlobes at birth. Ya know? I mean, hello! And as far as passing STDs around, instead of scalping a boy's penis, how about we teach proper hygiene & teach the boy to use protection & not sleep around with every ho he sees. If I have a boy, I'm going to leave his penis alone & let HIM decide when he's old enough to make that choice. I don't think it's my place to say whether or not my son's penis needs to be altered in any way. Since it's his penis, I think I'll leave that up to him. I mean, I wasn't born with a penis, but if I had been, I'd be kinda pissed if someone had gone to cutting on it from the time I was born! I'd be one pissed infant. I'd be like "HEY! That's MINE! HELLO!" U know newborns are probably traumatized enough with being suddenly moved from the home they've had for the last 9 mos & then next thing ya know someone's cutting on their manhood. They're probably thinking WTF!? And no anestesia btw. Sorry, I should be more impartial but *shrug*

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  7. Oh! and did u hear about that guy who was born a boy & the doctor messed up his circumcision, so they made him into a girl & after being raised as a girl, he found out that he was born a boy & he wrote a book about it & appeared on Oprah & then later he killed himself? He has an identical twin brother. It's a crazy & sad story. David Reimer was his name. Ok I'm done. Not gonna say anything else regarding this subject.

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  8. As man, and in response to AlexOnTheEdge.. I can safely GUARANTEE that 90% (at LEAST) of men would no way, no how go through with this procedure as an adult. Are you kidding me? And your reference to this botched circumcision is frankly ridiculous. Botched surgeries happen, unfortunately, and that one freak case has no bearing on this issue.

    Banning circumcision is the dumbest thing I've ever heard of in my life. Is this what our governments are wasting their time on? Who cares? If the parents want to do, albeit for religious or hygiene reasons, let them.

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  9. As much as I disagree with circumcision, I find it barbaric & understand it as unnecessary, I think creating a law about it is excessive. Clear unbiased education for the public could help parents make better decisions. My 2 sense? Babies are defenseless creatures whose parents should protect them from harm, which includes cutting off body parts.

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  10. (I posted this comment in response to the reddit thread. Thought I'd repost here.)

    First, I like my circumcision. I would get one if I were uncut. A circumcised dick is great fun for me.

    But I don't think it's the parent's right to decide whether their child gets circumcised. This is not a decision that's any of their business or province to force onto a infant boy.

    How about complying with a religious tradition? While it's possible to accept or reject one's baptism when one gets to be an adult, it's not possible to reject a bris and regain their foreskin when one reaches the age of consent.

    Parents should not be allowed to decide the on foreskin removal of infants, but circumcision itself should be legal for all consenting adults.

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