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Sex Files: The Pro-Circumcision Argument[/SIZE]
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Ashley Brenke
The following is the pro side of a circumcision debate held by the Sex Files columnists. The con side will be published next week.
Since the current rate of newborn male circumcision in the United States is still over 50 percent, and has been the "norm" for well over a century, there must be something about this practice that encourages doctors and parents to continue it. The original argument, circa nineteenth century, was that circumcision helped to discourage masturbation in young boys, and therefore sexual deviation and madness. This belief has long since died out, and in the early twentieth century, consideration turned to health and hygiene concerns. In fact, this is still the biggest argument today.
In particular, circumcision helps to prevent disease in infant boys. The American Academy of Pediatrics (FamilyDoctor.org) states that circumcision can help to prevent urinary tract infection in infants, and according to Richard M. Parker (PedsUroLogic.com), intact foreskins can lead to phimosis, a condition in which the foreskin narrows and cannot retract, or balanoposthitis, an infection of the glands and foreskin. The American Urological Association supports both these claims in a 2003 statement.
The healthful benefits of circumcision can extend beyond infancy. The AUA states that circumcision can lead to a decreased risk of adult penile cancer, and FamilyDoctor.org cites research finding that circumcised males have a lower rate of sexually transmitted diseases. Interestingly, a 1997 study by Edward O. Laumann (published in the Journal of the American Medical Association), shows that circumcised males have a higher degree of sexual satisfaction and a lower rate of sexual dysfunction than uncircumcised males; in particular, the rate of inability to maintain an erection is significantly lower in circumcised men. Finally, even daily hygiene can be improved from foreskin removal, since there is no place for excrement buildup around the penis.
Of course, many pro-circumcision arguments go beyond pure health and hygiene. The circumcised penis is now so common in our culture that it is often considered more aesthetically pleasing, especially to women. A relatively important concern in the past was that the uncircumcised schoolboy would feel awkward in the locker room, but with the current circumcision rate near 50-50, this may not be so much of an issue anymore. There is no denying, however, that circumcised penises are considered to "look nicer" and that many circumcised fathers want the same for their sons.
Many parents worry about forcing their sons into a personal choice, causing them undue pain, or contributing to genital mutilation. They may be worrying needlessly. I interviewed a 22-year-old circumcised male who has never wished for a foreskin. He claims no sexual dissatisfaction, saying that the lack of the foreskin's sensitivity "hasn't caused [him] any ill effect," he says. He also does not consider himself mutilated; at least, no more so than from anything "done to your body [as a child] - haircuts, little girls [getting] their ears pierced, or even being baptized," which have no "far-reaching ill effects," he says. He also does not feel slighted for the practice being done without his consent: "I'd rather be a circumcised neo-nate than a circumcised sixteen-year-old," he says. All things considered, he harbors no resentment for his neo-natal circumcision, and plans on circumcising his future son, as well.
While the rate has been slowly decreasing in recent decades, circumcision is still a highly common procedure in the United States. If performed well, it is relatively harmless, especially when local anesthesia is used, and has many healthful benefits for not only infants, but adult men. New parents should perform further research on circumcision practices and talk with their obstetrician about their preferences before their son's birth. The decision to circumcise may be a difficult one, but your son will likely thank you for it.[/SIZE][/FONT]
