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The debate on infant male circumcision is a sensitive one. We socially sanction the procedure if it’s performed for religious reasons. But medically it’s only legal when it resolves a medical problem and is in the best interest of the child. It’s seen as unethical and unnecessary by many doctors.
Reasons parents choose to circumcise their sons and why they're incorrect:
1. "It's cleaner." - Actually no, it's not. The foreskin is fused to the glans until puberty leaving nothing to clean whatsoever until 10-12 years old. When it does detach around that time, you wash it like the rest of your body.
2. "It reduces the risk of UTIs." - The risk reduction is LESS than 1%. Not significant enough to amputate healthy functioning tissue. Not to mention, that reduction only applies to infancy. Not adulthood. As adults, intact and circumcised males have the same risk of developing urinary tract infections.
*Allowing a circumcised bleeding penis to heal in a diaper full of urine and feces increases the risk of infection.
3. "It reduces the risk of penile cancer." -Aside from the fact that the American Cancer Society has already spoken out about that not being true, let's pretend for a minute that it is. Penile cancer is already so rare, that your son has a better chance of developing breast cancer than he does of ever developing penile cancer. Penile cancer includes the shaft and glans. The foreskin makes absolutely no difference.
4. "It reduces the risk of STIs and HIV" - The only thing that prevents STIs is CONDOMS. Not circumcision. In actuality, the foreskin has been shown to have cells that act as part of the immune system in protecting against STIs.
5. "His penis should match his dad's." - Ew. No, it shouldn't. Your son will never notice a difference in his and his dad's penis unless your family is keen on whipping it out at Christmas and comparing.
6. "Circumcised penises just look better." - All penises look the same when erect, intact, or not. Aside from the fact that the glans on a circumcised male are keratinized and "dried out" therefore looking smaller than it really should. Not to mention pushing your sexual preferences on your son's body is a kind of pedophilia.
Now let's look at the facts:
-A baby boy dies every 2 days as a direct result of a non-medically, unecessary circumcision.
-Thousands of men will suffer long-term complications including meatitis, erectile dysfunction, painful erections, diminished sexual pleasure, rough jackhammering sex on their partners to achieve orgasm, and more.
-Over 250,000 men in the US are currently restoring their foreskin and wish they had been left intact from birth.
-Countless men as adults have sued their parents and practitioners for performing their circumcision without their consent as babies.
-The lack of foreskin will affect every circumcised male and their partner's intimate life. The glans are supposed to be moist and covered, not dried out and keratinized.
This post is not meant to shame circumcised males or parents who made the decision to do so. It is meant to raise awareness and inform others of the risks. You can regret making the decision and share what you have learned so the cycle stops.
-RN Kaylee Marie Winfield