Circumcision has been practiced for a very long time. It has been said to meet certain religious requirements and to prevent disease. It is an accepted thing. It is preferred by mothers that I have met because it makes it easier to keep the baby's penis clean.

Personally, as a woman, I find that uncircumcised penises feel better during sex. I read that the foreskin is there not only to protect the penis, but is the most sensitive skin on it.

I know there are ongoing studies to ascertain if the foreskin harbors germs and carcinogens, and disease control is a vital concern to many. Does that make it OK to remove an extremely sensitive (in more than one way) body part without the boy's permission?

I have not met any men who were circumcised as adults. So, is there a difference in before and after sensitivity for men? I heard that adult circumcision is extremely painful. Doing it to a baby wouldn't be all that different would it? I would not have someone else's ears pierced without their mature permission and total willingness. Is this different?

bushg

simon I believe that it is a horrible thing to do to your child. I hope for the sake of all the little boys that this cruel practice will be stopped one day.
I cant' believe that all boys were created with a horrible defect such as skin covering their penis...to me it woul be like cutting your eyelids off.

kp2171

my opinion concerning the medical side is pretty well laid out in the following post.... scroll down a bit and you will see my opinion with links the the AMA's site concerning their position on the procedure...

http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/judaism...on-159958.html

short answer is that most medical "concerns" are statistically insignificant and just noise. neither the AMA or the AAP recommend it as a medical procedure and inform physicians to not push it as such... it is a cultural phenomenon.

im a circumcised male who chose not to circumcise my son. beside the medical crap being not true or statistically irrelevent, there were a few other points... most of which are emotional positions, so im not attacking those who "disagree"... this is my position.

first... i consider the foreskin to be important in sexual play. there are many nerve ending in this region. why cut this out? likewise, when being sexually stimulated the retraction and pulling up of the foreskin over the shaft and the glans has a pleasing feel. why would i cut this off? as a corollary, some say the skin covering the female cl!t keeps this sensitive area moist and the skin softer and more sensitive. again, sounds good to me!

i also dont believe it is a painless procedure... completely. the ama states its position in the link, advising the use of an analgesic. the only thing i will concede is that at birth some sensory impulses are not correctly "registered" by the brain... and perhaps the infant doesnt feel the pain we expect.

on the other hand, there is an arguement that an infant also is unable early on to deal with pain the way a more developed mind can. for ex... when you hurt yourself your body is able to some degree to lessen the hurt by increasing its threshold to pain. think about labor.

ok... i can go on here forever and i dont care to.

i think it is an unnecessary, cultural, non-medical technique (absent the rare cases where the foreskin never fully retracts and must be removed, usually in teen years. yikes!) that has been propagated through generations, but is starting to see a significant decline in the US.

Choux

kp, thanks for the great post. Excellent and very informative for the female.

Xrayman

Boys penises are washed like girls vulvas until about 6-7 then they retract the foreskin and clean underneath-so simple.

The penis is reasonably self cleaning-like the vulva.

I really cant understand why people feel it is their right to cut off a part of their childs anatomy-male or female.

If I don't wash my hands-does that mean that mommy and daddy should have them cut off? come off it.

the people who advocate circumcision have never had it done-or done when babies, or think it is okay if it is a child who is having it done to them , that they don't "feel it"=what a load of rubbish.


cicumcision is barbaric because it is MOSTLY done for the wrong reasons.

all of the above is my opinion-you asked for it you got it.

Xrayman

point #1 the studies are flawed and statistically insignificant.

point#2 correct-the glans dries-out and becomes keratinised (hardened)-not as sensitive in the circumcised adult.* sensitivity of course is variable.

Also i am tattooed and pierced-nipples, navel and ----. so i understand pain and the need for CONSENT!!!
__________________

kandyfruitcake

Desert Flower

Waris Dirie - 'Desert Flower' - amazing book.

Choux

I thought back, and I never had sex with a man who wasn't circumcised. Thanks xray man for additional information about boy's and men's penis'.

I see no reason for male circumcision.

smoothy

Some of us circumsized guys can easily go for an hour...on a daily basis or even longer.

Being overly sensitive in that area is counter productive unless you really want it over faster.

Choux

Hm, smoothy has a good point.

Xrayman

I really think that i'm outraged not so much by circumcision itself-just that it is done against a child's will. that is NOT ON!

someone a while ago had a link to a video and to the circumcision "restraining device", used to disable movement form pain of the boy infant during circumcision.....I thought we abandoned torture in the 1200's????

if you think that circumcision is okay-have it done, without anaesthetic, against your will and held down with straps---then argue with me about it...