Just as the eyelids protect the eyes, the foreskin protects the glans and keeps its surface soft, moist, and sensitive. It also maintains optimal warmth, pH balance, and cleanliness. The glans itself contains no sebaceous glands -- glands that produce the sebum, or oil, that moisturizes our skin.11 The foreskin produces the sebum that maintains proper health the surface of the glans.
The mucous membranes that line all body orifices are the body's first line of immunological defense. Glands in the foreskin produce antibacterial and antiviral proteins such as lysozyme.12 Lysozyme is also found in tears and mother's milk. Specialized epithelial Langerhans cells, an immune system component, abound in the foreskin's outer surface.13 Plasma cells in the foreskin's mucosal lining secrete immunoglobulins, antibodies that defend against infection.
There are countless benefits to having foreskin. So I just don't understand why people still do it to their sons??
2007-01-04 12:58:36 · 39 answers · asked by Debbie 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
I just don't understand the reasoning that "it's cleaner". Little girls and women also have a build up of something similar in between showers/baths. Does that mean we should cut off your vulva's? Please.
2007-01-04 17:24:00 · update #1
They are confused, they think their son's penis belongs to them.
My penis doesn't belong to my mother now; nor did it belong to her fifty seven years ago when I was born.
Every human being has a right to a body as complete and perfect as G*d or nature gave it to them. No one or group has a right to change that because of their opinions or superstitions.
This basic right applies equally to girls in Africa, Asia, and boys in the U.S.
2007-01-05 03:41:52 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 7⤊ 3⤋
Because somewhere down the road someone thought that it should go in a woman's mouth rather than her vagina....so thus the myth of what is clean and what isn't....sheesh...as they say, you can't miss what you don't have and if you are a pig WITH foreskin, you are likely to a pig without it too.
How can people justify what you were born with being cut off?
PULEEEEEZZZZZ!!!!!! Find a better excuse than a clean dick and you want it to look like daddy's.
Men I ask you this: Watch this and tell me you would endure this as an adult without any anesthetic, because trust me you DID NOT have one in the days you got yours done. Only in recent years did they start giving it to you and they don't always unless you ask.
Who could do this to a child? And you call others barbaric. You people are are such hypocrites.
Modern Day Circumcision:
http://www.cirp.org/library/procedure/plastibell/
Why do they recommend it still? Because there is MONEY in it that's why.
And not only SHOULD it be considered child abuse it IS child abuse...and yet people justify it like it was nothing. Why not immediately implant BOOBS into your daughters too...after all if sex is the reason for everything why not start early there too?
****
2007-01-05 07:22:36 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 2⤋
Peer pressure or personal obligation to religion and culture.
In other cases, some children are born with foreskins that prevent them from urinating properly.
Obviously, if the reason for circumcision is beneficial to the child for urination and comfort purposes, then this is understandable. Any other reason for this act- painful for the child and barbaric.
A lot of people talk about how much cleaner it is and try to excuse the act of circumcision as a medical procedure for that sole purpose. I get dirt under my fingernail... should I have my fingernail removed? I get fluff in my bellybutton... should I have a procedure to fill in my bellybutton? Neither the dirt under my nail or the fluff in my bellybutton is an issue to my wellbeing, so I may as well leave my body as nature intended.
The presumption made by those who are pro-circumcision is that a foreskin is dirty (someone who washes regularly will be clean, foreskin or no foreskin! Being circumcised does not guarantee cleanliness!). Which is an outrageous idea!
Many circumcisions in some cultures are not carried out by professionals and the infections that follow can result in death for the infant... all in the name of religion/culture.
Scientific logic and love for one's own child over cultural tradition anyday.
2007-01-04 13:15:52 · answer #3 · answered by midsojo 4 · 8⤊ 2⤋
It should be considered child abuse! Many doctors and hospitals now refuse to chop off a healthy foreskin - good for them! It really annoys me when people say he'll be teased in the locker room (why, when only half the baby boys are being mutilated now) or that he needs to look like his father (it is sick to think of a father wagging his penis around for the kid to examine!).
I think very few educated people are having it done to their babies now, and the rate should continue to fall as people learn more. I think the Internet has had a large part in educating people about this. How many people can have their sons cut after seeing a video of how it is done? - it should be mandatory before any doctor does this that the parents see a video first. Even some religious Jews are refusing to have their sons ritually mutilated - hooray for them!!
2007-01-05 08:53:19 · answer #4 · answered by Maple 7 · 4⤊ 2⤋
I was circumcised as an infant thanks, by in large, to the fact that my parents didn't really put much thought into things...instead, they followed the masses like many of the ignorant people here. I wish I could turn back the clock, but I've yet to come up with such a device yet. As for the day I have a son, he will not be circumcised, at least not until the day he chooses to go have it done for himself. God put it there for a reason. How about we take some of that loose labia on you pro-cutting moms and snip it off without using anesthetics of any type. I love the ignorant people who say it doesn't hurt. The parent should have to do the cutting since there is "no pain." As far as infections go, get off your lazy asses and clean the boy's penis until he can do it for himself. There is no higher rate of infection either way..so why cut? It is horribly painful for the child, pointless as far as serving any purpose other than aesthetics, and anti-cutters are on the rise, so by the time a boy, born today, reaches sexual maturity, there will be no big deal either way. But go ahead all you sheep out there...cut up your little boys so they can look just like all the others. What a bunch of careless followers!
SUNFLARE...do you pull all of your answers straight from your ***? Where in the world did you get the idea that it is a law to circumcise?
Why is everyone so worried about being different? Oops...forgot that we lived in a world where pop-culture, Britney and Paris rule....let's all jump on the bandwagon and be clueless. It's just like everything else these days...everyone else is doing it, so just go along with it. I'd be willing to wager that 95% of you, in support of mutilating newborn boys, also had your pain free pregnancies through the use of epidurals, vaccinate blindly, let your babies "cry it out," and obey your doctors like good little mindless chimps.
2007-01-04 13:43:15 · answer #5 · answered by playdeaux 3 · 11⤊ 3⤋
You've been misled by anti-circumcision propaganda.
"Just as the eyelids protect the eyes, the foreskin protects the glans and keeps its surface soft, moist, and sensitive."
In fact, the glans is equally sensitive in circumcised and uncircumcised males. See sources 1 to 3.
Also, rather than protecting the glans, the presence of a foreskin actually predisposes towards balanitis - inflammation or infection. See 4.
"The foreskin produces the sebum that maintains proper health the surface of the glans."
No, it doesn't. Studies have found that there is "no evidence of any glandular tissue in the subpreputial region of the penis," (see 5) and that the "mucosal surface of the prepuce is completely free of lanugo hair follicles, sweat and sebaceous glands." (see 6)
"Glands in the foreskin produce antibacterial and antiviral proteins such as lysozyme."
No they don't. See 5 and 6 again.
2007-01-05 00:45:33 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 7⤋
Jake you seem to have missed this study on the pubmed list. Didn't it fit your agenda?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16037710&query_hl=2&itool=pubmed_docsum
Exerpts from the report:
Masood S, Patel HR, Himpson RC, Palmer JH, Mufti GR, Sheriff MK.
OBJECTIVES: Currently no consensus exists about the role of the foreskin or the effect circumcision has on penile sensitivity and overall sexual satisfaction. Our study assesses the effect of circumcision on sexually active men and the relative impact this may have on informed consent prior to surgery.
Penile sensation improved after circumcision in 38% (p = 0.01) but got worse in 18%, with the remainder having no change. Overall satisfaction was 61%.
CONCLUSIONS: Penile sensitivity had variable outcomes after circumcision. The poor outcome of circumcision considered by overall satisfaction rates suggests that when we circumcise men, these outcome data should be discussed during the informed consent process. 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel
I would point out that while this study shows that adult men should be warned of the possibility of sensitivity loss before they can give "informed consent" to circumcision, there is no way that a newborn boy can give his informed consent to an elective procedure that has a 1 in 5 chance of leaving him with an impaired sex-life.
His body. His choice.
2007-01-05 03:07:18 · answer #7 · answered by cut50yearsago 6 · 6⤊ 2⤋
Alot depends on whether the father has been circumcised or not. Men are men and like their manhood to match! So if not been circumcised they tend not to get thier kids done.
The US and Canada seem to be paranoid with the circumcision thing, it is not as popular in the Uk, and there you would never here it as a discussion between mothers like here!
If I had a boy (i do not) they would not get circumcised, it is unnecessary...why do you think they charge you for the procedure! Also there is alot of discouragement from the medical side not to do it unless necessary.
2007-01-04 13:22:16 · answer #8 · answered by Marmitemonster 2 · 7⤊ 2⤋
The really sad thing is that this is still an issue i think what you need to ask yourself is "how does mr and mr x having their son circumcised affect me" answer...it doesn't for the record the world health organisation recently stated that having the foreskin removed decreased the chances of catching AIDS by 50% simply because the glands that are in the foreskin are basically an open window it has been know for years that having a child circumcised decreases the chances of catching a range of
STD's. The child never remembers it they get it cut then they get a feed all over none the worse for wear. Personally if my child is a boy i will be getting it done my husband is and how on earth is the child going to feel when he finds out he's different to daddy. It is like abortion im not for it but it is a choice you should be able to make freely same as bottle or breast some people really need to put their nose back in their own garden and stop judging people who are probably having a hard enough time as it is.
2007-01-04 16:53:18 · answer #9 · answered by RawAngel007 1 · 3⤊ 8⤋
I have a friend who's going to be having a little boy in February and she's adament about getting it done so he'll look like everyone else and she thinks it'll help him stay cleaner.
I found a video somewhere showing a circumcision done to a baby and I think if more parents saw THAT than they'd change their mind!
2007-01-04 13:03:37 · answer #10 · answered by Bluebear 3 · 8⤊ 2⤋
We decided to leave it up to our son. It is HIS penis, after all. I think many people try to justify it... but it really just boils down to sticking with what they think the mainstream is doing. More and more people are NOT having their sons circumcised. It wasn't even offered by my sons pediatrician. Some people have been using the excuse that "it prevents infections". Have the women on this site ever had a yeast infection? How would you like it if your parents cut out your vagina to prevent that. A little EXTREME?
2007-01-04 17:26:31 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 7⤊ 3⤋