CIN (Circumcision Information Network) 2:27

CIN Compubulletin
Circumcision Information Network 
Volume 2, Number 27, 14 August 1995

MORE PARENTS ARE PASSING ON CIRCUMCISION
An article which appeared in the 1 August 95 TIMES ADVOCATE of Escondido,
California, by Cindy Siok.  Edited for brevity.  Thanks to typist George
Hill, dyks96a@prodigy.com. 

Why do North Americans circumcise their newborn boys?  Muslims and Jews
practice circumcision as part of their religious tradition, but being in
North American isn't a religion. 

The majority of the world's men aren't circumcised, yet it is the most
common surgery in the United States.  Most parents are given the option to
have their son's circumcised at birth and, though the health benefits are
dubious, many choose it. 

Circumcision rates are gradually declining in this country as parents
discover there is no real medical reason for the routine removal of a
boy's foreskin. 

Confusion, outdated information and controversy surround the subject . 

[S]tudies showing an increase in urinary tract infections among
uncircumcised boys "may have been influenced by selection bias," according
to the Academy of Pediatrics after the 1989 statement.  Even so urinary
tract infections are rare in men or boys altogether compared to women. 

And studies at the Center for Disease Control have not found circumcision
to be either protective or a risk factor for AIDS or HIV infection.  And
other research shows that circumcision does not prevent penile cancer, a
disease so rare more people die from circumcision complications than from
cancer of the penis. 

Aside from religious reasons, most circumcisions are justified on the
basis of personal hygiene, yet 85 percent of the world's men are not
circumcised which indicates the penis is easily cared for. 

"Cleansing the intact penis is simply a matter of common sense," say Milos
and Macris in their article. 

Opponents of routine infant circumcision say removing a baby boys foreskin
to keep the rest of the penis clean is like pulling teeth instead of
brushing them. 

"It seems a bit radical to substitute a knife and surgery for a little
diligent cleaning with soap and water," writes Dr. Thomas J. Ritter in his
book, "Say No to Circumcision!" 

Dr. Ritter, who is uncircumcised, said he thinks it's preposterous to
presume members of the male population cannot properly care for their
penises.  "I feel that it's an insult to presume that a child who would
grow up to clean his fingernails, blow his nose and brush his
teeth...would be too stupid to learn how to retract the foreskin and wash
the glans penis -- a procedure no more difficult than washing a finger,"
said Ritter. 

Another common reason given by parents and doctors to have circumcision
done is to prevent the procedure having to be done later, when the child
will remember the pain and trauma of the incident. 

In the United States, studies have shown the rate for older infants is as
high as 15 percent.  But, in Finland -- a non-circumcising country -- the
operative rate is only .006 percent.  The differences reflect an American
attitude that the foreskin is expendable and the tendency to remove it at
the first sign of trouble. 

Not only do medical studies show there's no compelling medical reason to
routinely circumcise boys, medical research shows the foreskin serves a
useful medical purpose.  A July 1992 medical journal article by Dr. George
Denniston explains that in infancy the foreskin protects the head of the
penis from irritation and fecal matter.  In adulthood the foreskin
accommodates an organ that is capable of marked increase in size and is
one of the most sensitive areas of the penis because of its concentration
of complex nerve endings. 

Men circumcised as adults commonly complain of the loss of sensitivity. 
Dr. Ritter quotes several men's statements in his book, one Denver man had
the following to say:  "After 30 years in the intact state, I allowed
myself to be persuaded by a physician to have the foreskin removed -- not
because of any problems at the time, but because, in the physician's view,
there might be problems in the future.  That was five years ago, and I am
sorry I had it done now from my standpoint and from what my female sex
partners have told me. For myself, the sensitivity has been reduced by at
least 50 percent ..." 

Frederick Hodges of the National Organization to Halt the Abuse and
Routine Mutilation of Males (NOHARMM) says women are also victims of
circumcision because the removal of the foreskin can create problems
during sex. 

Hodges said a sexuality study done in the United States named dryness,
friction, and pain as the three most frequent complaints of women.  The
foreskin contains lubricating glans which, Hodges said, could be a benefit
for women who complain of dryness. 

Newborn circumcision also presents ethical and legal questions in the
opinion of pediatrician George L. Williams, who stated in an October 1992
presentation to the Second International Childbirth Conference:  "Do
parents have the right to choose medically unnecessary and harmful
cosmetic surgery for their children?  I do not believe so." 

FIGHTING BACK
Mr. David Llewellyn, Attorney at Law, handles wrongful and malpractice
circumcision cases. 

Mr. David Llewellyn
Attorney at Law
2222 Harris Tower
233 Peachtree Street, N. E.
Atlanta, Georgia  30303
404-880-4120

Mr. Llewellyn represented the plaintiffs in the recent Montgomery, AL case
where in the plaintiff was awarded $65,000 in damages for wrongful
circumcision. 

THE JOY OF UNCIRCUMCISING
The second edition (revised and updated) of "The Joy of Uncircumcising" by
Jim Bigelow, Ph.D., is now available.  To find out how to get it, contact
George Hill, dyks96a@prodigy.com.
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