The American Underground

Circumcision to become mandatory in the United States?

Circumcision, the practice of removing the skin that covers the tip of the penis, is a procedure commonly performed shortly after the birth of a male child. Approximately 79% of adult males in the United States have been circumcised. Circumcision is known to reduce the risk of contracting AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), as well as reducing the risk of urinary tract infections. However, circumcision is not considered a medical necessity nor is it required by law.

That may be about to change, if the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has its way. A new proposal being floated by the CDC would make circumcision mandatory in all newborn males in the U.S. By doing this, the CDC asserts that the rate of new HIV infections would dramatically decrease. Some studies in African countries indicate that a circumcised male has a 60% lower risk of contracting HIV from a woman than an uncircumcised man.

The weakness in the CDC's position is that men contracting HIV from women in the U.S. is not where the AIDS epidemic in America is based. The primary cause of the spread of HIV in the United States is through men having sex with men, and studies do not indicate circumcision provides any additional protection for homosexual sex.

Opponents of circumcision assert that it is an unnecessary mutilation of a child's genitalia that provides no actual physical or health benefits. They assert that money spent on mandating circumcision could be better spent on quality sex education programs targeted towards the real source of the AIDS problem in the United States.

Many are particularly upset with making circumcision mandatory. While many see no problem with a physician explaining the potential benefits of circumcision to new parents, a legal mandate for what some see as genital mutilation is going too far. Legislation of that nature is guaranteed to spark protests and litigation. It is unclear whether the CDC will seek legislation to mandate circumcision, or if they will merely promote it as a good health practice. However, when a government agency states they want to make the practice "routine" and "universal," it seems clear they will push the practice as far as they can.

Circumcision will be one of the topics at this week's at the Centers for Disease Control's National STD Prevention Conference in Atlanta. The CDC expects to release a formal draft of proposals by the end of the year.

Circumcision is Medieval

Although there is no scientific evidence to support circumcision, 750 million males worldwide are presently without their foreskins. A surgical procedure typically performed on a male in infancy, the foreskin is 'cut around' and removed. The various justifications for this mutilation include disease prevention and reduced masturbation. On the latter, just reading around here on OS, I would say there is no abatement of male masturbation in what I imagine is a largely circumcised group of bloggers. I assume this given that in 1970, 91% of all male children in the U.S. were circumcised; today the estimate is 60%.

Sometimes, religious or cultural tradition is cited as the reason for the widespread mutilation of infant boys. In Judaism, for instance, a bris is typically held when a boy is eight days old. A rabbi performs the circumcision while family and friends watch. As a Jew, I have always found this practice to be horrifying, and I am not afraid to say so. One of the many myths that all cultures who participate in this barbaric act perpetuate is: 'the baby won't remember.' Does it make sense that the first sensation a male feels in his penis is one of pain? Is removing a part of a human being without their consent, ethical? Perhaps it is a gruesome kind of training; men are kicked in the balls throughout their lives.

Most recently, a study was conducted that concluded the spread of HIV would be reduced 60% by circumcising all males. Public health officials in the U.S. are already considering the promotion of routine circumcision once again, although the subject is under intense debate. I did the math regarding the number of men in the U.S. who were circumcised in 1970 against that age group who were diagnosed with HIV. The 'researchers' in this study need to take a basic arithmetic class. I am not going to chart my results, as I think it's better for anyone with a question to do their own analysis. My opinion is clear.

The mutilation of male children must be stopped. While I welcome your point of view on this, I guarantee you, you will not change my mind.