Circumcision

[BassDude726]

I didn't mean they wouldn't catch STDs... just if they have more stamina.

 

[Warman17]

#1 I'd say no to it, because it is a religious tradition where the participant (or victim ) has no choice in the matter. If they choose to have it done later, well all well and good. But i also wouldn't want to ban male circumcision as what i said is only my opinion, and religious traditions, such as with the jews, are still valid.


#2 It still happens here, but not very much to the best of my knowledge.
AFAIK it is a Jewish religious thing, that was inherited by some christians i guess. (but it is not an important thing for most christian denominations).


#3 no, actually makes it smaller.

#4 which reminds me that when this topic was brought up in high school during sex ed, only one guy in the class of probably 15 guys was circumcised. Dunno how that represents the whole population.

#1- You are an 8 day old baby and you won't remember the experiance in the first place. I in fact am happy I am circumsized and continue on my heritage and traditions and will do the same to my son if I ever have one. And thank you for notwanting to ban it

#3- not according to a lot of people here.

#4- I don't know about Australia but from what I've heard, the majority of Americans have been circumsized.

 

[BassDude726]

I can only speak for myself, but my captain doesn't wear his hat to the table. Same for most Americans I know.

 

[Little Raven]

First of all, female circumcision is a disgrace to humanity and deserves to ranked with the likes of foot-binding. It provides absolutely no benefit to the woman and has any number of ill-effects.

Male circumcision, on the other hand, is mostly harmless and arguments can be made either way. There are studies that show it has minor health benefits; in addition to providing minor protection against STDs, the rate of penile cancer is all but nill in males who have been circumcised and hygiene is easier to maintain. On the flip side, there are those that claim that sexual sensitivity is lost as result of the procedure. Having been circumcised at birth, I can't personally comment on that, but I'd say the evidence seems to show that circumcised men lose neither their desire or ability to engage in sexual activity, so it can't be that bad.

It is true that circumcision can very occasionally result in complications with unfortunate effects. However, so can the lack of circumcision. One good friend of my family had a son who's foreskin was too tight, causing extreme pain. Eventually, he had to be circumcised, only he got to go through the procedure at age 7 instead of an infant. Ouch.

The consent issue doesn't hold much water with me either. The fact is that parents must and do make life-altering decisions for their children every day. It's an unavoidable part of parenting, and why parenting is such an awesome responsibility. The decision of whether or not your son should be circumcised is far, far from the biggest decision you will make on his behalf. Trust me on this.

There are pros and cons either way, and frankly, both are very small. Certainly not something to lose sleep over.

 

[KaNick]

I'm glad I am circumcised for all the reasons alread stated. I am also glad it was done at birth

 

[amadeus]

Mutilation for religious practices is silly and morally reprehensible, I oppose both.

 

[BassDude726]

But mutilation for personal preference is great! Any pierced or tattooed person will tell you that.

 

[Warman17]

Just as a note, the poll is currently 62% to 34%. 62% is also the percentage of Americans who have been circumsized.

 

[Double Barrel]

There seem to be a lot of misconceptions about male circumcision around here.

My son's doctor highly recommended it when he was born, and it is a painless, NON-surgical procedure. A little plastic ring was placed "down there" within 24 hours of being born, which eventually just fell off within a few days. My son never cried or felt discomfort, so there are a couple of myths busted right there!

Another aspect is size and sexual pleasure; Extensive studies have been conducted, and there is no loss of either size or stimulation. Yet another couple of urban legends.

However, there are studies regarding hygiene (especially in young males 0-13 yrs. of age), mainly because boys tend to be dirtier (than girls), so they may not clean themselves as thoroughly as they should. This leads to increased infections.

In addition, further studies have linked foreskin to higher rates of cancer and STD's, but these studies have been inconclusive to make final judgements.

Then there is the social stigma. Perhaps it is a reflection of American women's reality, but Penthouse and Playboy (how are those for reliable scientific studies!) said that well over 85% of women polled preferred the circumcised versions.

The strange thing is this Western concept of genital piercing! There is an underground trend to voluntarily pierce the most private of places. OUCH!! Another topic on my ever growing list of "Things Double Barrel Will Never Understand".

 

[bobgote]

#1- You are an 8 day old baby and you won't remember the experiance in the first place. I in fact am happy I am circumsized and continue on my heritage and traditions and will do the same to my son if I ever have one. And thank you for notwanting to ban it

i did say i respect those following tradition enough that i wouldn't want to infringe on that.

#3- not according to a lot of people here.

a lot of people are morons
honestly, i don't know if my high school teacher was right or wrong, but he's a better source than "a lot of people here".

Then there is the social stigma. Perhaps it is a reflection of American women's reality, but Penthouse and Playboy (how are those for reliable scientific studies!) said that well over 85% of women polled preferred the circumcised versions.

I think that there is a cultural difference, seeing as how most American blokes are circumcised.

 

[Guildenstern]

Saying men ought to be circumcised because many women prefer them that way is precisely equivalent to saying women ought to be anorexic-bulimic because men prefer supermodels.

Of all the reasons given to remove your son's body parts without his consent, this one is by far the most disturbing.

And as the Australian pointed out earlier, if you don't want your kid being made fun of in locker rooms, instill him with a sense of self-confidence about his natural body.

 

[General Brown]

Not sure what's sick about this thread... Anyway, I'm against circumsion in any children. When they are of age, and can make an informed decision, they can do whatever they want. Female "circumcision" is obviously wrong, but even male circumcision is irreversible, if not dangerous or harmful. I may unintentinally inflict emotional scars on my children, but to knowingly inflict physical harm is beyond my comprehension.

Yes, let them make their own decisions when they're older. But again, it is a religous issue

 

[Dr Jimbo]

And as the Australian pointed out earlier, if you don't want your kid being made fun of in locker rooms, instill him with a sense of self-confidence about his natural body.

Well I'm Irish, not Australian, but I'm glad to see that you agree with me.

 

[Guildenstern]

Australia's close to Ireland, isn't it?

I apparently didn't read closely enough.

 

[t3h_m013]

i think its pretty close, and theres all the cars blowing up in northern australia due to all the catholics or something isnt there?

 

[Aphex_Twin]

Here's an excerp from one of the links within the page I posted earlier (because I realize some people don't like going to sites and reading everything).

Link to article: http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/2754/hiv052002.htm

Those studies have little or no scientific base. On the HIV thing, you can't expect one to believe circumcizion beats certified contraceptives**. Is it somehow a danger that consenting adults would not want to have this surgery later?


**Can I say "condom"?

 

[Kubz]

I'm an American and I'm glad I have been circumcized. I've never had, nor known anyone to have any problems related to it being done. the best part is I never have to deal with [don't ban me, please] any smegma build up.

 

[Joey_Ramone]

Circumcision is a horrible thing. The reason it's done routinely in the US is because in the nineteenth century it was widely believed to be an effective way of preventing masturbation (which was widely believed to be a terrible thing). So it was introduced in America and also in Britain and Australia. By the twentieth century, however, the British realised that it was completely useless and stopped it. The Americans and, I think, the Australians still do it. Most Americans seem to think it has benefits in hygiene and that this is why it is done. In fact, of course, it has no benefits, and it is done simply because it always has been done - and the reason it was originally done was erroneous. So there's really not much point.

Perhaps there are no benefits, I don't know. The thing is, once it is the norm, it is hard to go back. In the US pretty much everyone has it done (at least where I'm from). In 2nd grade after a rough and tumble game of dodgeball we hit the showers and for the first and only times in our lives saw an uncircumcised penis. The kid was born in Greece and being foreign had social problems anyway which were only exasberated by being uncut.

He got made fun of a ton, and I heard he had a lot of problems with girls in college who would freak out by it. He finally had it cut at the age of 21.

Basically, if you're living in the US and you're uncircumcised you could scare some girls away. I've never thought about it, but I suppose this might also be true (except the other way around) in some European countries, perhaps some of the Europeans here could enlighten us.

 

[Joey_Ramone]

Just as a note, the poll is currently 62% to 34%. 62% is also the percentage of Americans who have been circumsized.

I find that statistic a bit hard to believe. I would expect it would be much higher than 62%. My Greek friend says girls would freak out, and not even know what it was at first. If there were so many uncircumcised I don't think they would have reacted like that.

The only thing I can think is that maybe certain racial groups or certain geographical regions have it done in lower percentages.

 

[Dr Jimbo]

US girls sound very shallow, on this evidence