Will circumcision ever be ended?

Question

Egypt today passed a total ban on all female circumcisions, toughening up an ineffective 1997 law. Will it work?

Or will it drive the practice underground? It's hard to eradicate a social custom that has been in place for thousands of years.

When female circumcision was banned in America, it just led some Muslim parents to take their daughter abroad to get the operation where it is still legal.

When California hospitals stopped routinely agreeing to circumcise boys without medically necessary indications, the circumcision rate dropped drastically and today most baby boys escape this needless surgery.

But who knows how many Muslim families are still circumcising their baby boys and young girls in secret.

American has millions more Muslims than Jews. The Jews have proved that they do adapt to changing circumstances and improved knowledge, and often do well. Are Muslims more often than Jews stuck in antiquated social customs and bad ideas?

Will circumcision disappear? How soon?

Instead of irritating people with the word "circumcision," let's consider "surgery on the genitals performed without medial necessity." Let's consider the facts rationally, and not get sidetracked into issues like defenses of supernatural religious claims.

Answer 1

There is no real need for circumcision, and female circumcision is just mutilation. Both should stop, and I hope they do.

Answer 2

Wow I applaud who ever said that quote. It's very true. I don't think the bill will pass either because of "freedom of religion" and because the average public is very uneducated about the damage and harms of circumcision. The general public also might buy into the myths that it has health benifits while it doesn't. Because of the poor education out there about circumcision it's not going to pass. Once people become educated on what the procedure actual does and is, and once people understand the right to bodily integrity the law might then come into effect or it might not need to as a vast majority (only the religious would) wouldn't circumcise. And we will be along side every other country that has done so. It really sucks America has to really be the last to everything. -Connor

Answer 3

I think so called 'medical' circumcision of infants will die out fairly soon but religious circumcisions will continue as they are part of centuries old traditions. As long as there are Muslims and Jews circumcision will be here to stay and you are right, making it illegal will only lead to it being done by anyone immoral enough to take a knife to children's genitals. Banning won't help the children but education might and until we can educate Muslims and Jews it is perhaps best that circumcisions are done by physicians rather than quacks.
We need to get educating quick to protect the children who might lose an essential part of the body totally unnecessarily.

Answer 4

I read an article last week that said the circumcision rate had fallen to less than 50 % of boys born in the USA. I was surprised. Both of my sons were circumsised because there father prefered it that way and I didn't know one way or the other. I doubt if either will stop completly, but I don't think I would blame a particular group of people, speaking more generally would have more people listening to you.

Answer 5

Will murder disappear? Will theft disappear? Of course not. You can't make these things go away completely, but by passing the laws you place extreme limitations on people's ability to commit atrocities like this. Give it some time, and it will improve. It won't go away completely, but like you said, some Muslim families may do it anyway... but "some" is a lot less than all of them. And in America, someday that child will go to the doctor, and the Muslim family that does it will have some explaining to do.

And I am solely referring to female circumcision. There really isn't anything wrong with male circumcision. In fact, it has recently been shown that circumcised men are less likely to contract STDs than non-circumcised men. Overall, it really makes no difference in a guy's life. It is completely different than taking away a woman's ability to enjoy sex.

Answer 6

Number one, you are comparing female circumcision to male circumcision and that's comparing two completely unlike things. Female circumcision should be referred to as female genital mutilation because it is. It will always cause pain and it is a means of controlling and degrading women.

Number two, Muslims are not the only people who circumcise boys or mutilate girls. The practice of male circumcision is a longstanding tradition in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim culture. It is a ruling sent from God in the Old Testament. And while I will never say that following the Old Testament is the best thing to do, male circumcision has written roots unlike FGM. Also, I want statistics that Muslims are more likely to circumcise than Jews or Christians because I don't think there is any such evidence.

Number three, your "question" is a thinly disguised bigoted rant. Lay off the talk radio and read a book. Thanks for the points.

Answer 7

Male circumcision is actually better for health reasons. Most Jews still circumcize their boys and there is nothing illegal about it.
You are talking about mutilation of female genitalia, which is illegal. This is not legitimate female circumcision.
True female circumcision involves the breaking of the hymen only. Anesthesia is included and this is so there is no pain upon initial intercourse after marriage, to insure that both spouses enjoy their first time. It also involves a ceremony, similar to the boys' circumcision which acknowledges God.

Answer 8

Premature ejaculation is caused by specific things that you do before and during sex. Most of the time without even realizing it. Read here https://tr.im/SxMIQ

Premature ejaculation is not some gene you're born with, the result of your penis size or a part of your personality that you can never change.

Answer 9

I think it should become voluntary. The practice of removing half of a man's penis before he is old enough to accept the fate is reprehensible. If it is done at all, it should be done later in life as a personal choice.

Answer 10

I do hope it will be.


Anyway, some people are posting false informatinio about male circumcision so I just thought I would post some things in the AAP circumcision policy statement.
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics%3b103/3/686
http://www.circumcision.org/aap.htm
"It warns physicians that parents should not be coerced by medical professionals to choose circumcision, suggesting that some medical professionals have coerced parents to choose circumcision. In fact, some infants have been circumcised even though parents explicitly requested no circumcision. "

"The AAP statement acknowledges that the foreskin contains "a concentration of specialized sensory cells" and reports that "penile sensation and sexual satisfaction are decreased for circumcised males." "

"The report recognizes the extreme pain and trauma caused by circumcision as evidenced by large increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormone levels during circumcision. The AAP notes that according to a recent study, circumcised infants exhibit a stronger pain response to vaccination at six months than uncircumcised infants, demonstrating that the effects of circumcision are not short-lived. By calling for pain medication, in the form of injection into the infant’s penis, the AAP acknowledges that this extreme pain and trauma of circumcision are serious. "

"The statement takes a position of not recommending circumcision. Consistent with all previous AAP reports, no proven, actual benefits for circumcision are found. The claims of potential medical benefits are discussed in more detail that the last report (1989) and shown to be insignificant. The debate about medical benefits is over. "

"As in previous reports, hygiene is not an issue. According to the report, "there is little evidence to affirm the association between circumcision status and optimal penile hygiene.""






FORCING circumcision on any child is wrong.

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


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/

Answer 11

I'd like to take this time to welcome our rag-head friends to the new millennia. It took a while, but they made it. Hopefully a few other extreme middle eastern countries will follow suit. I guess we'll see. Why don't we all honor them by eating some hummus and pita bread. Their Customs will not change for another 100 years at least.

The economist down there thinks he has it figured out. Fool.