shikamaru317 said:
Wow, this thread is surprisingly negative towards circumcision. I am happily circumcised, and I'm glad my parents had the doctor do it when I was a baby because it's quite painful as an adult from what I've heard, and there is a greater risk of complication if you have a circumcision done as an adult.
- Cleanliness. A circumcised penis is just much easier to keep clean.
- Reduced risk of various health problems. Studies show a reduced risk of contracting HIV, HPV, genital herpes, chancroid, syphillis, and penile cancer in circumcised men. Studies also show that the female partners of circumcised men are less likely to contract cervical cancer than the female partners of uncircumcised men. Uncircumcised men are also more prone to Urinary Tract Infections.
- Attractiveness. In the US at least, the vast majority of women prefer circumcised penises, and some have such an intense dislike of uncircumcised penises that they will refuse to perform oral or even have normal sex with uncircumcised guys.
- Circumcisions on babies are much safer than adult circumcisions. The risk of complications increases from 1.5% on infant circumcision all the way up to 6% on adult circumcision, and the risk of severe complication on infants is just 0.2% (and reduced to near negligibility if performed by a qualified doctor). Pain in the circumcision scar is nearly non-existent after infant circumcisions, but common among men who were circumcised as an adult, sometimes becoming chronic. So you may think you are doing your son a favor by waiting and letting him make the choice himself, but you are not.
Also, take note, the claims of reduction in sexual sensation and increased rates of premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction in this thread are bogus, multiple studies have found no correlation between circumcision and loss of sensation, premature ejaculation, and erectile dysfunction.
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I think what we see in this thread is significant ignorance to the realities of male circumcision. I see things in here stated as facts that are not backed up by any of the research that I've done, and I've done a lot of research the last couple of weeks. Also, equating it with common forms of female genital mutilation is a pretty big stretch. But, I can understand where people that are not familiar with the procedure find it barbaric. In some senses, it is.
With that said, I think there is a pretty clear consensus that philosophically, performing a cosmetic procedure on someone without their consent is morally wrong. And, as a parent that is about to have to make this decision, this is the primary factor that is leading me towards not having my son circumcised.
