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I’m against circumcisions. After all, I’d feel like a hypocrite if I was against female genital mutilation but not male genital mutlilation. At least let the kid decide for himself when he’s old enough to make up his mind. And I don’t buy that it makes it cleaner because that is junk science!

MrControversy 7 Dec 12
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1

Seriously, why you mad about circumcision. I can only think of a few reasons why a man would be bothered by this with regards to others!

Who are you to tell someone else what to do with their kid barring life threatening circumstance and the law?
Does it upset you that other men go on happily about their way cut while you don't?
What's it to you???

While I would never at this age refuse a man who ticks all the boxes over whether he's cut or not, functional even or not, I can't see why this topic still comes up. Don't want your kid circumsized? Don't do it then, geeez
If I was in the position however, I'd give my son the gift of being cut. And yes, Imma just say it right here that I think men's privates can and often are beautiful, and I've been with more cut, and no one has complained about their circumstance in life! LOL
If you put two twins together , men equal in every way and gave me a choice.... I'd choose "cropped & docked".
At the risk of upsetting men who aren't. I would never at this stage in my life, refuse someone who was near & dear to me based on their man parts should they find my mind equally of worth as I would theirs.
Because that's where I'm at, it's a lot of mental/emotional connectivity, reciprocity.

It is not the same as female genital mutilation, entirely different parts being removed. It would be the equivalent of removing your entire glans., Head of the penis. So no, not the same.

0

I think the only population in which this is such a cut and dry issue is non religious Americans who have neither environmental nor religious/cultural influence involved in their decision. Two separate experiences (outside of my professional life) that greatly impacted my views and understanding of this subject, I think are important for everyone to consider before making blanket statements:

  1. While spending time in a Maasai village where they still practice FGM, (yes it's illegal to do so in Kenya but these people are far removed from civilization and it's laws- though as a more progressive village than some, they give their girls the choice and make it elective and not forced) I had the opportunity to speak to several of the women and girls in the village about it, as well as the chief leader. What I overwhelmingly found was that even when given the choice and having at least some understanding of the health risks, they still chose to go through with it. It is so deeply ingrained into their rituals of transition into adulthood, that they cannot imagine not going through it, as if it would make them less than a woman to opt out.
  2. Now onto the boys... my very first trip to Kenya, my very first day at the orphanage where I volunteer, a boy of about 12yrs old (who I later found out had just gone through his age sets circumcision ritual the weeks before I arrived) had been following me closely all day long. I could tell he was itching to ask me something, but when he finally got up the courage, I unfortunately had no good answer for him. He said he had heard something about Americans and wanted to know if it was true. He said he heard we circumcise our boys as babies. Did we really do that? When I replied that yes, many do, but many also don't circumcise at all, he clearly couldn't believe what he was hearing could be true. He then asked me, with this intense look of concern: But if you circumcise a boy as a baby, how does he ever become a man? He honestly could not reconcile the two scenarios in his mind.
    My point is that this is an extremely complicated issue, and hard right or wrong stances will only prevent progress in educating people against the imminent health risks and reducing harm where these practices are so primitive that the risk and benefit scales are tipped against them.
0

Both are vile

1

Ha! I love Jim.

1

Have you research the difference between the two? Boys are just cutting the forskin off, girls their clitoris is cut up or out so they get no pleasure from sex. Worlds apart girls have died from theirs boys have not!

Hello! THIS^^^ Thank you.

Sadly, over 100 little boys die from complications of circumcision every year in the US alone. I'm not arguing that the procedures are the same--obviously FGM is much worse--but why mutilate any children at all?

I wouldn't say that the fact that female genital mutilation is far worse than circumcision makes circumcision okay. The difference is in the matter of degree, if you ask me. Boys might usually die but they do suffer a great deal of pain. And from what I understand, they also experience a decrease in sexual pleasure from the operation. So same effects, just not quite as bad. If it's wrong to do it to girls, then it's wrong to do it with boys as well.

@creative51 True but each of those babies was somebody's beloved child who died for no reason except ignorance. Every circumcision death is preventable--it's cosmetic surgery, plain & simple.

@creative51 There are also little boys maimed each year--some lose their penis entirely. There's a book called "As God Made Him" (no religion in the book so don't let the title put you off) about just such a boy. It ruined his life. Sadly, he killed himself some time after the book was written. It's a well written & eye opening book--I highly recommend it.

Circumcision does have lasting effects, and @Carin is right, babies do die from it. It is a completely unnecessary procedure, (unless medically necessary) done out of outdated tradition and aesthetics. Go any other country and male circumcision is definitely not the norm like it is here. The point is, painfully and forcibly removing a child's body part without their consent is NOT okay. If you don't like your foreskin after you are an adult it should be your choice remove it. As an adult you can have proper pain management during and after the procedure. Babies do not have proper pain management during or after, never mind the fact they have an open wound sitting in shit and piss while it heals. Circumcision is barbaric and unnecessary, no matter the sex.

0

Well, damn. You just opened about 4 separate cans of worms. I'm starting with the safest stance and speaking to the correlation between circumcision and cleanliness. No, of course, circumcision in itself does not make a penis cleaner, but it does make it easier to KEEP clean. In no way to be mistaken for the only possible way, but the EASIEST. And in some environments that can correlate positively to cleanliness.
I realize my opinion will be received with a grain of salt considering I don't actually have a penis. But I work with them all day long, and at least once a week we see an elderly gentleman who is uncircumcised and has stopped putting the effort into keeping it clean. I'll spare you the gross detail, but suffice it to say they require surgical intervention to fix the complication that results in letting it go. Circumcised men who let it go deal with no more than the occasional urinary tract infection.

I have twins, boy and a girl. Neither are circumcised. And I understand female and male circumcision are not even close to being the same. Maybe my son will be cursing me when he's 82!

@Rusticchef keep preaching to keep it clean even long after it's being used for fun and he'll be fine. Or at least then he'll only have himself to curse. ?

@Amzungu2 Cleanliness is next to godliness even when we are without god.

1

I am a strong supporter of genital autonomy as well. Both of my sons are intact. There is no concrete reason for doing it, other than aesthetics. (Unless it is truly medically necessary, [i.e. phimosis, etc.] which isn't very often.)

JessZ Level 3 Dec 12, 2018

I can't imagine subjecting my baby boys to that either! We are so careful to not poke them with diaper pins or hurt them in any way--yet we should have a part of their genitals peeled loose & cut off? Just doesn't make sense.

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i am curious as to why you think the cleanliness aspect is junk science.

g

Washing your penis takes care of the cleanliness issue. There is no "science" behind circumcised penises being cleaner, let alone junk science.

@JessZ see @Amzungu2 's answer above.

g

@genessa my point exactly. Being circumcised might make them easier keep clean, however the same level of cleanliness can be achieved whether you have a foreskin or not. Not keeping up with normal genital hygiene is nowhere near an excuse for forcibly removing someone's body parts without their consent. If a man wants remove his foreskin as an adult because he decides he's too lazy to keep his penis clean (or for whatever reason) that is his choice.

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