Did you know the following about Jewish foreskin removal (aka "circumcision")?

Question

Judaism values ethics above both doctrine and reason. The growing awareness of pain and harm connected with circumcision leads to questions about ethical considerations. How do we begin to justify the practice of circumcision on ethical grounds? It is significant relative to this question that, according to an authoritative book on Judaism, "the Torah prohibits the torture or causing of pain to any living creature."47 Now that we know some of the consequences of circumcision, Jewish law (Lev. 19:11; Exodus 23:1) obligates us to be open and honest about it. In addition, we may ask if, given a choice, we would consent to being circumcised. If not, then considering Hillel's encapsulation of Judaism: "What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow-creature" (Sab. 31a), should we force circumcision on another?

Significantly, virtually all that has been written about circumcision over the centuries ignores the infant's experience.

An infant being circumcised is restrained while having part of his body cut off. Imagine yourself in the same situation. From the infant's perspective, this is a physical attack. His physical struggle to escape and his piercing screams are evidence of an appropriate response to attack. It is a violation of Torah law to physically assault or harm another person (Exodus 21:18-27). Jewish law recognizes a newborn infant as a person if the infant has been born after a full-term pregnancy.48 With circumcision, we generally overlook the humanity of the newborn infant and his awareness, perception, sensitivity, and meaningful responsiveness, though these abilities have been thoroughly documented by the latest research.49

This is all from: http://www.jewishcircumcision.org/spectator.htm

sfederow's answer and the reuters article need to be seen in light of the fact that the same research showed that women who were circumcised in africa ALSO had a 30% reduction in rates of hiv/aids.

This, unfortunately, therefore appears to be an example of sociocentricism hijacking scientific research. This is not a good position to be in when claiming to be a critical thinker.

So if you are going to trot out this argument, why not ALSO advocate the routine circumcision of baby GIRLS, once again?

Anyway, that answer was beside the point, please read above (and the question) before responding in like manner.

Answer 1

Circumcision is still practiced in large parts of Africa and the Middle East.

Answer 2

FROM:::
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyid=2006-07-11T000623Z_01_N10391567_RTRUKOC_0_US-AIDS-CIRCUMCISION.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

Circumcision may stop millions of HIV deaths-study
Mon Jul 10, 2006 8:06 PM ET

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Circumcising men routinely across Africa could prevent millions of deaths from AIDS, World Health Organization researchers and colleagues reported on Monday.

They analyzed data from trials that showed men who had been circumcised had a significantly lower risk of infection with the AIDS virus, and calculated that if all men were circumcised over the next 10 years, some two million new infections and around 300,000 deaths could be avoided.

Researchers believe circumcision helps cut infection risk because the foreskin is covered in cells the virus seems able to easily infect. The virus may also survive better in a warm, wet environment like that found beneath a foreskin.

So if men were circumcised, fewer would become infected and thus could not infect their female partners.

The human immunodeficiency virus or HIV, which causes AIDS, now infects close to 40 million people and has killed another 25 million. It mostly affects sub-Saharan Africa and the main mode of transmission is sex between a man and a woman.

Several studies have suggested that men who are circumcised have a lower rate of HIV infection. This has been especially noticeable in some parts of Africa, where some groups are routinely circumcised while neighboring groups are not.

Last year, Dr. Bertran Auvert of the French National Research Agency INSERM and colleagues at WHO found that circumcised men in South Africa were 65 percent less likely to become infected with the deadly and incurable virus.

His team then did an analysis to see what would happen if all African men were circumcised.

"In West Africa, male circumcision is common and the prevalence of HIV is low, while in southern Africa the reverse is true," they wrote in the current report, published in the Public Library of Science Medicine.

"This analysis shows that male circumcision could avert nearly six million new infections and save three million lives in sub-Saharan Africa over the next twenty years," they wrote.

Overall, they project that universal male circumcision would reduce the rate of infections by about 37 percent.

"Male circumcision alone cannot bring the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa under control. Even circumcised men can become infected, though their risk of doing so is much lower," the journal cautioned in a commentary.

Answer 3

I looked at the website over there. The guy's not even a Rabbi -- why would anyone make a religious decision based on his opinion? The debate over circumcision has been going on for thousands of years, and there are valid (nonreligious) reasons both ways.

P.S. Did you know that a baby's platelet count is highest between 5 and 10 days after birth? It is never higher before or after that period. That is a medical fact - you can go look it up. That's when the circumcision is done.

Answer 4

Well you've certainly done your research and make a compelling argument. Although it's a little weird you would spend so much time thinking about this. sounds like someone got a grudge against Judaism in general... hmmmm?

Why pick on them. Most boys in the U.S. are circumsized at brith as well and since jews make up a small percentage of the u.s. population, many more NON JEW children are circumsized, so why not attack them? Because of your in-bred hatred for jews in general i would guess.

Fact is most kids are circumsized due to the archaic notion that doing so would prevent them from masturbating as they got older. Ha! well that certainly didn't work now did it!

By the way, i'm not circumsized.

And quit being a hater and start being a lover my friend.

Answer 5

I have been to a few Jewish circumcisions and I can personally testify that the child's pain is small and brief.

if it was done to an adult the person would be screaming for minutes and would not funciton for days. The baby on the other hand screams for a few seconds and then it is over.

as for causing the child pain you completely miss the point of circumcision. It is not done for heath reasons or we like to harm the kid. It is done because it is a commandment in the Torah, its a simple as that.

Answer 6

Let's get down to brass tacks here. God tells you to circumcise your son's by the eighth day. This is for his benefit. If it is done by the eighth day his consciousness will not have developed yet. They have no discernible change in their brainwave patterns from sleeping to waking. It is all a dreamlike state.

God is much smarter and wiser than you. Obey his commands and quit trying to pronounce yourself as wiser then him. Repent and ask for forgiveness.