Why do religious people cut off part of baby's penises?

Question

About a third of the skin of the penis is removed during circumcision, decreasing sensation for life and leaving the newborn traumatized and screaming in pain.

Why do certain people think this is necessary?

Some information:

http://www.circumcision.org/studies.htm

Answer 1

Generally, they don't know the true facts about circumcision.


I feel one should not be allowed to cut parts off of someone's body without their informed consent, be it the mother or the father irrelevant of their intentions. It is an irreversible process. How will the child view your decision when he grows up? See this video: http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=137650&fr=ybr_sbc


It's perpetuated by culture, just as FGM in other areas and the majority of people who force it on their children do not know the true facts.

It should be the choice of the victim as to whether or not they want to undergo the procedure. There are many men who try to undo the damage done to them every year: http://www.norm.org/
It is wrong to force an irreversible process onto them that they may not undergo as a adult if they still had the choice.



No medical institution in the world actually recommends the practice.
Let's have a look at medical associations in the developed world. The British Medical Association, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Canadian Paediatric Society, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, Australian College of Paediatrics and Australasian Association of Paediatric Surgeons. Every one of them recommends AGAINST performing the procedure. Their positions on the procedure can be found here: http://www.circumcision.org/position.htm


Here is a video of the operation. Watch it if you want to learn more. Please do watch it.
http://youtube.com/watch?search=&mode=related&v=XmX6RdRNoqk
Or this video:
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=352478&fr=ybr_sbc
It is not just a little snip here and there. Watch the above video of a circumcision in progress.


The foreskin keeps the glans soft and moist and protects it from trauma and injury. Without this protection, the glans becomes dry, calloused, and desensitized from exposure and chafing.
Specialized nerve endings in the foreskin enhance sexual pleasure.
The foreskin may have functions not yet recognized or understood.
[ http://www.nocirc.org/publish/pamphlet7.html ]

"Circumcision removes the most sensitive parts of the penis and decreases the fine-touch pressure sensitivity of glans penis. The most sensitive regions in the uncircumcised penis are those parts ablated by circumcision. When compared to the most sensitive area of the circumcised penis, several locations on the uncircumcised penis that are missing from the circumcised penis were significantly more sensitive." Circumcision removes as much as 75% of sensation [ http://www.nocirc.org/touch-test/bju_6685.pdf ].

The foreskin reduces the force required by the penis to enter the vagina. It also increases the sexual enjoyment of the female partner. Here is a study to back this up: http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/ohara/

Performing circumcision on a child can and does result in the deaths of children due to blood loss and/or failure of the immune system.
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=512542
Approximately 230 American males die every year because of circumcision. [ http://www.sexuallymutilatedchild.org/deathsdo.htm , http://www.cirp.org/library/death/ ] This is a meaningless and very sad loss of life.

It can and does result in very significant scaring.
It can and does result in sexual problems later in life.

Circumcised males have a much higher rate of sexual dysfunction and premature ejaculation. [ http://www.cirp.org/library/sex_function/ ]




A lot of the information perpetuated about it preventing diseases is false.
The study that you are less susceptible to aids if you are circumcised is flawed. Here is a discussion of the report and its methodology by "Doctors Opposing Circumcision": http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/info/HIVStatement.html .

Have a read through their statement. It is very informative. It shows the methodological flaws and poor conclusion in the report that the WHO has jumped upon. Everything is aptly sourced.


Men may often feel a need to justify their own circumcision by the generation of claims of health benefits.[ http://www.cirp.org/library/psych/goldman1/ ]
"The medical literature is full of protective claims for various diseases, such as sexually transmitted disease , male and female cancers, and urinary tract infection. All such claims have been disproved."[ http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/info/HIVStatement.html ]




"The United States has one of the highest rates of male circumcision and also one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the developed world, suggesting that circumcision is having exactly the opposite effect. Conversely, Finland and Japan have some of the lowest rates of circumcision and also some of the lowest rates of HIV/AIDS."

Condoms have been proven to be an effective means of combating AIDS.


Hygiene and prevention of disease are among the commonest reasons cited for performing male circumcision. This directory contains references that examine the validity of these claims in detail: http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/



They are both mutilations of the genitals. A parent does not have a right to mutilate their child's genitals under the U.N. Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the U.N. International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights. These violations were brought to the attention of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 2001 both orally and in writing by NOCIRC. However, the U.N. has yet to take action. [ http://www.mgmbill.org/un.htm ]

The vast majority of the world(83%) is not circumcised.
There is no good reason to perform male genital mutilation.

About circumcision bias: http://www.circumcision.org/bias.htm
Ethical questions: http://circumcision.org/bioethics.htm
Ethics: http://circumcision.org/ethics.htm
Circumcision Information: http://www.circumcision.org/information.htm


See these sites specifically:
http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/
http://www.mgmbill.org/
http://www.nocirc.org/
http://www.mothersagainstcirc.org/
http://www.noharmm.org/
http://www.norm.org/

Here is a tracking of circumcision news articles which is kept very up to date:
http://www.cirp.org/news/

Have a look at this website:
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9712/23/circumcision.anesthetic/

Have a look at this video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1736954830543671382&sourceid=searchfeed

Here are some very significant articles on circumcision that I recommend:
http://www.birthingthefuture.com/AllAboutBirth/circumcision.php
http://www.compleatmother.com/articles3/femalecircumcision.shtml

Answer 2

actually apart from the Jewish faith and a few tribal customs this practise was for hygiene reasons. In first world countries since the mid 1960's it has not been necessary to perform this. And in fact there is a growing number of doctors who will not perform this procedure as it can unnecessary. Consider yourself lucky in some tribes the foreskin is removed with a sharp rock not a scalpel. Ouch!!!

Answer 3

It is not a third. It is not a lot at all. Christians don't do that though.

Most parent do this when their sons are babies. The babies do not scream and don't even remember it.

You need to read more about circumcision before you post a very stupid question.

Answer 4

You are misinformed. How it became a religious thing I'm not sure. Being circumcised is much cleaner. It does not change how much sensation you will have during sex. The babies ability to feel is not sensitive at that age. That's why some babies don't even cry when it happens.

Answer 5

For the same reason other religions do at 13?

Answer 6

Only jews do that. It means they can't hide Papa's diamonds when they get older. Also, its an extra something to eat that does not need to be bought. Foreskin, yummmy.

Answer 7

Jews and Muslims do it. Christians do not.

In by itself this ceremony can make sense. It will always remind a man that he belongs to a certain religion.

Answer 8

its for medical reasons although i wish it didnt happen cause it retards development o the penis as well i.e. makes it smaller as an adult

Answer 9

They did it to keep the baby clean and to keep sperm from being trapped in that area during intercourse later in life. That foreskin area is sometimes hard to clean and acts as a barrier to some to impregnate and there are diseases that are hard to stop that can enter through that area when it is not clean.

Answer 10

Circumcision, when done properly, is actually more hygienic. And it isn't just religious people who do it.