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Another relevant fact is that the foreskin is attached to the penis head at infancy, and naturally detaches itself with time–typically by the age of 3, but sometimes not until puberty. Removing the foreskin while it’s still attached leaves permanent scarring on the penis, which is occasionally rather grotesque, and which in some unlucky men causes physical problems. Circumcision should be delayed until the detachment occurs naturally.
ReplyParents can consent to medical/surgical treatment of their children,…
So in your mind circumcision is clearly an elective procedure, i.e. not medically necessary, and therefore should be banned? Should all elective surgery on minor children be banned? How would you formulate that legally? Would you specifically ban circumcision?
Like millions of other American male infants born last century, I was circumsized. And I honestly cannot remember when I actually became aware of the fact that my penis looked the way it did because it was circumsized. Maybe it was when I saw an uncircumsized penis — not at all common — for the first time? In a locker room maybe? I don’t recall it as something that was widely debated, until relatively recently.
ReplyTotally agree with that. My son had a lot of skin on his penis and my family doctor advised me to be extremely careful when visiting other doctors or nurses. She said that he would change naturally and touching this or pulling violently his skin downwards, the usual treatment for excess skin in my country, could lead even to an infection and gave no benefits at all.
On the other hand, my nephew, who has born with the same condition was “cured” violently by my sister-in-law uncle, a well known urologist 🙁
Now my son is 5 years old and his penis skin can go backwards easily, and has had no balanitis episodes at all.
Well, I doubt that most people would think that parents should be allowed to consent to, say, a nose job for their child. OTOH, there is plastic surgery that isn’t strictly medically necessary that isn’t objectionable, say for cleft palate or other disfigurement. But an intact penis is *normal*.
If circumcision’s benefits could be unequivocally demonstrated to be far greater than the risks, maybe a case could be made for infant circumcision. But the case for it seems highly doubtful, IMO. Therefore it should be done only on an adult with informed consent.
BTW, much the same can be said about fluoridation of water. There’s been a lot of debate about benefits vs. risks, but the real issue is informed consent.
ReplyThey pushed the procedure prior to AIDS by saying it was better for cleanliness, as though people can’t use soap and water. Later they latched onto the disease angle, using questionable studies on African tribes. They keep changing the reasons. It’s quack medicine, that’s what it is.
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