Should Male Circumcision be banned???

Question

Take a moment to watch this short clip on Youtube. It is disappointing.

http://youtube.com/watch?search=&mode=related&v=XmX6RdRNoqk

Should Circumcision be banned? We don't perform it on Females, so why Males?

Answer 1

Yes!

I suppose it should be allowed for those over 18, but it is a violation of a child's human rights to remove part of his body with no medical reason before he is old enough to give informed consent.

Foot binding is illegal. Female genital mutilation is illegal. Why do we allow this gruesome procedure to be done on baby boys?

Answer 2

That video is disturbing to say the least.
I know people often do it for religious reasons but I strongly believe that people should be free to choose their own path in life, and it's unfair that they don't have a choice in this.
Let me also point out that it is as yet unknown whether circumcision has any effect on the prevention of AIDS. Furthermore, I fail to see why newborn babies need "AIDS prevention" in the first place. They aren't exactly running round having promiscuous sex, are they? Yet another reason why I believe circumcision should be a personal choice in adulthood. And given the choice between a condom and circumcision as a prevention method against AIDS, I'm quite certain that most people would pick a condom, which, I might add, has actually been PROVEN to help protect against AIDS, while circumcision has not.
As for the old "it's more hygienic" argument - cleaning one's genitals on a daily basis is a perfectly effective way of keeping the area healthy and preventing infection.

Answer 3

Yes it should be banned on children. (do what you like when you're 18). A child's body belongs to the child not the whims of its parents - nobody has the right to remove part of it unless it is medically in the best interests of the child and circumcision doesn't fall into that category (only in a few exceptional cases). Seems odd to me that many things under the eyes of the law count as sexual abuse but cutting off the foreskin in a painful procedure doesn't - it make no sense.

Answer 4

Oh my God! I couldn't even finish watching that! The poor baby! I do think circumcision is cruel. It's unnecessary and who says the boy will want it when he's older? Shouldn't that be his choice? There is a difference, though between male and female circumcision, in that the male can still find sex pleasurable, even if not AS pleasurable, whereas the female feels no pleasure in sex (which is why they do it in the places where it is still done, so the female won't feel the desire to cheat on her husband). But it's still a cruel and unnecessary torture to put an innocent and defenseless child through!

Answer 5

I don't think it should be completely banned, but it definitely shouldn't be endorsed. There are cases where a circumcision is medically needed (albeit such cases are rare).

So I think circumcisions for non-medically necessary and non-religious (religion is such a touchy thing, you wouldn't want to go there) reasons should be banned (which is the majority of circumcisions). This applies only to minors though. If an adult wants a circumcision, he can do whatever he likes.

Answer 6

you have got to be kidding me........ circumcision reduces aids and other std's, human rights??????????? you tell me where any type of plastic or cosmetic "surgery" is done on a day or 2 old infant.....they need to ban it on babies unless it is medically necessary, and if you are over 18 and want it done have a good old time, but leave the babies alone and let them decide when they are old enough. and anybody that is thinking about getting their sons cut, research it first, read the horror stories, read the stats on what's being cut off and what effects it has on the sensations, and if you want to do it for "hygenic" purposes...... when the kids are that young, how much time would it really take to keep something that small clean? and think about it.....you are creating a pretty big wound, and confining it to a diaper that is going to be filled with urine and feces, I think it would be easier to keep it clean without the wound. research it first

Answer 7

I'm against it but recently there has been a lot of pro-circumcision discussion in the news as they claim it protects against AIDs. I've always heard it make no difference. I'm so confused.

If it really does protect againts AIDs, it should be the man's choice when he's an adult and ready for sex.

Answer 8

It is still performed on females in certain parts of the world in order to sublimate and control. In the West it is usually done for medical reasons if the need is there. Other than that, it remains for religious reasons or by preference. To ban it would be almost impossible in today's political climates.

Answer 9

Yes, it should be banned from being performed on children.

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
By forcing the procedure onto him, you are denying him his human rights of bodily integrity.


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 while circumcision contributes to vaginal dryness. [ http://www.circumcision.org/studies.htm , http://www.cirp.org/library/sex_function/ ]
The foreskin also increases the sexual enjoyment of the female partner. [ 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/ ]

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) "there is little evidence to affirm the association between circumcision status and optimal penile hygiene." [ http://www.circumcision.org/aap.htm ]

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/




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.



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 of circumcision: http://circumcision.org/bioethics.htm
Ethics of circumcision: 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.circumcision.org/
http://www.cirp.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 10

Only on children and babies who don't consent. Even though I'm not against it, I believe adults should be able to make decisions about it.