Poll: Bans on Circumcision?

[Koroviev]

There was a Jewish doctor who was circumcising babies with his teeth (as part of a particular religious doctrine, I'm not saying all Jewish people do this. My reference is the book God is not Great by Christopher Hitchens so yes biased by this is not just some rumour) and this lead to some of the children catching Herpes, not the strictly true "herpes" which is transmitted through sexual intercourse but the type which normally forms cold sores on lips. Practises like this I say should go.

you've been misinformed. There is a practice known as metzitzah b'peh, or oral suction, in which the mohel sucks blood from the circumcision wound. Traditionally this was done as an attempt to avoid complications, but as you say this has been linked to the transmission of herpes. Only the most Orthodox Jews practiced this to begin with, and the ones that still do are advised to use a sterile glass tube.

the bottom line is that rabbis aren't going around biting the foreskins off of infants.

Damn, I was looking forward to it! D:<

 

[Tanner The Monotone]

I don't think it should be banned, but I think it should be discouraged. There is no benefit. It's just more dollars in the hospital's pocket.

EDIT: Except for religious reasons, of course.

I think it also for hygene.

 

[Koroviev]

I don't think it should be banned, but I think it should be discouraged. There is no benefit. It's just more dollars in the hospital's pocket.

EDIT: Except for religious reasons, of course.

I think it also for hygene.

I think washing is a much less surgical alternative ;D

 

[Justank]

Anyone here have a circumcision later in life, like 25+? Or have a link to quotes from someone who has? I'm curious what someone in that position has to say about it. I was circumcised as a baby and quite frankly don't have any issues with it, I get plenty of pleasure despite not having a foreskin. I keep seeing people comment on 'calloused skin' but that is the exact opposite of mine, so I'm not sure where that is coming from.

 

[Jonabob87]

Every christian who gets a circumcision goes to hell. ENJOY THAT FACT. You think you know better then god? He made you in his own image and his image is not good enough for you? Haha, burn in your own hell.

That's an outright lie.

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

I don't see anything wrong with it. I mean maybe its because I'm circumcised, but I seriously can't understand why people are getting so upset. I mean you people are talking about walking around with "mutilated genitalia". What? I don't look down at my penis and go "Oh if only it wasn't crippled". It's totally fine, it just doesn't have some skin that other people's have. They don't clip off the head or something like that. Plus from what I know circumcision makes it easier to clean the thing. You guys with foreskins have to clean under if I'm correct (damn this conversation got weird fast, but we are talking about penises), which I don't. And the reason they do it so young is because the kid will never remember it. Yeah I imagine it hurts pretty bad, but that's all of a day or so and then everything's fine.

 

[mightybozz]

Genital mutilation and I consider that it is a crime to do it without valid medical grounds to anyone who does not or is incapable of consenting. Obviously this includes children, and I include children of religious parents in that.

Personally I think it's a bizarre idea. To show your devotion to God you're supposed to hack off bits of skin? From your penis? It's one of the most ridiculous ideas in the Bible. I am quite curious to know why it's really in there - did the ancient civilizations understand purported health benefits from it?

Anyway, uncircumcised and free. I bet the amount of men who chose to have it done are in a VERY small minority.

 

[JimmyC99]

To Ban something is to say that its wrong, many cultures have it as a symbolic thing, are these places saying that this part of their culture is wrong, and is it medically dangerous? (any more so then other surgery),if so then only on medical grounds could it be banned. painful surgery such as cosmetic liposuction happens daily but this still legal, things that cause massive bruising and pain like face lifts are legal, and claiming its because it around the genital area is a poor defence sex change ops are legal. I personally dislike cosmetic surgery it appeals to vanity and the vain but I wouldn't presume to ban it any of it unless it posed a significant medical risk.

 

[Numachuka]

I don't think it should be banned, but I think it should be discouraged. There is no benefit. It's just more dollars in the hospital's pocket.

EDIT: Except for religious reasons, of course.

I think it also for hygene.

I think washing is a much less surgical alternative ;D

I had to have it done for a medical issue.

 

[Koroviev]

Anyone here have a circumcision later in life, like 25+? Or have a link to quotes from someone who has? I'm curious what someone in that position has to say about it. I was circumcised as a baby and quite frankly don't have any issues with it, I get plenty of pleasure despite not having a foreskin. I keep seeing people comment on 'calloused skin' but that is the exact opposite of mine, so I'm not sure where that is coming from.

I apologize for this, I do need to provide a source. I recall it from a WHO pamphlet, and yes, I am aware of WHO's stance on male circumcision, at least as it concerns developing nations. I have a feeling I should have said scar tissue, but until I locate the source, you can disregard my comments.

 

[Koroviev]

To Ban something is to say that its wrong, many cultures have it as a symbolic thing, are these places saying that this part of their culture is wrong, and is it medically dangerous? (any more so then other surgery),if so then only on medical grounds could it be banned. painful surgery such as cosmetic liposuction happens daily but this still legal, things that cause massive bruising and pain like face lifts are legal, and claiming its because it around the genital area is a poor defence sex change ops are legal. I personally dislike cosmetic surgery it appeals to vanity and the vain but I wouldn't presume to ban it any of it unless it posed a significant medical risk.

Most cosmetic surgery is reserved for those who can consent to it. An infant cannot consent to genital mutilation. And I cannot say as fact that the practice is wrong, however, I can disagree with it and argue my position. Simply saying that it's a cultural thing that been around for a long time is a logical fallacy known as an appeal to tradition.

 

[j0frenzy]

Is there some passage in the Jewish Bible stating "Thou shalt slit thy johnson because God demands it"? Because if there isn't (and even then) I think it needs a serious re-examination as a tradition.

...Actually, there is a passage like that. Even worse, it technically says you are supposed to do it with a sharp rock. Now I kind of want to go reread Genesis to find the exact quote.

Edit: Just reread the passage. I forgot that it was supposed to mark humans with the covenant of God. Basically, God treats us with kindness and blesses us, we agree to worship him. Now cut off the tip of the penis because we don't have paper to actually use as a contract to sign.
The sharp rock thing is just what Abraham used to circumcise himself.

 

[KorLeonis]

I was snipped as a baby due to my parent's religious beliefs. I have long since renounced any ties to their (or any other) religion, and I want my damn foreskin back! How dare they make a permanently disfiguring choice without my consent?

So I'm firmly in the "ban for kids" category. And no, I don't make exemptions for religion or tradition. If there's a legitimate medical reason, then alright, snip away. Otherwise wait til they're 18 and let them choose.

*Edit'd for spelling.

 

[messy]

There was a Jewish doctor who was circumcising babies with his teeth (as part of a particular religious doctrine, I'm not saying all Jewish people do this. My reference is the book God is not Great by Christopher Hitchens so yes biased by this is not just some rumour) and this lead to some of the children catching Herpes, not the strictly true "herpes" which is transmitted through sexual intercourse but the type which normally forms cold sores on lips. Practises like this I say should go.

you've been misinformed. There is a practice known as metzitzah b'peh, or oral suction, in which the mohel sucks blood from the circumcision wound. Traditionally this was done as an attempt to avoid complications, but as you say this has been linked to the transmission of herpes. Only the most Orthodox Jews practiced this to begin with, and the ones that still do are advised to use a sterile glass tube.

the bottom line is that rabbis aren't going around biting the foreskins off of infants.

Oh I was never suggesting they were and I do apologise if it read as such, I was brining up one example that I know of. I was not making a blanket accusation of the Jewish people or faith. And if I have been misinformed I do apologise, like I say the text was biased and biting off does sound worse then sucking out blood.

I still stand by that this practise should stop, no matter how uncommon it is.

 

[Jonabob87]

Is there some passage in the Jewish Bible stating "Thou shalt slit thy johnson because God demands it"? Because if there isn't (and even then) I think it needs a serious re-examination as a tradition.

...Actually, there is a passage like that. Even worse, it technically says you are supposed to do it with a sharp rock. Now I kind of want to go reread Genesis to find the exact quote.

I think that's probably more because they didn't have scalpels in those days than God thinking sharp rocks are the best thing for the job.

 

[gillebro]

I think as an adult you should be allowed to do whatever you damn well want (also i think fellas, if you were to chop part of your junk off, neither you nor your lady partners would thank you), but circumcising baby boys is cruel. it hurts them so much that they go into shock. it has no medical benefits at all (what is this crap about circumcised penises being cleaner? seriously? it's called WASHING), and it's just inhumane! i'm so glad that in australia and england it isn't as practiced as it is in america. i dunno, yanks... i heard somewhere that you have to request not to have your child circumcised now. please tell me that's not true...

 

[Verlander]

There are medical reasons someone may need to have a circumcision, and at the end of the day there are health benefits to it as well. There are plenty of medical studies stating that the likelihood of STD's drop dramatically among circumcised men. Obviously that's dependent on lifestyle choice, but also majorly because it's easier to keep clean.

Also sounds like the anti semetic brigade to me. I kinda want to get rid of Jews, just so we can get rid of anti semites (jk)

I'm sure I disagree with virtually everyone about something. A religious creed is no different. I can disagree with an aspect of something and not despise it. If I were to say I wanted to ban the Jewish faith, then I'd really be throwing out the baby with the bath water, so to speak.

And the medical benefits really aren't that significant. If we really want to slow the spread of AIDS, we need to promote condoms, which protect both genders, not calloused penises that haphazardly protect men up until they very likely don't.

There are other medical benefits. Some children are circumcised at birth or at a young age for a different reason. At the end of the day, it's just a piece of skin. People have moles removed because they have a high tendency to become cancerous, and that's a potential problem. It you are born with an actual problem or an abnormality, it may need to be removed.

The problems arising from circumcision are almost non existent. Scrap what I said about the anti semetic brigade-this sounds like threatened men panicking. Oh noes, they chop bits off of our bits! People need to grow up and deal with it. It's pathetic how some men set so much store by this, when in this day and age, a real man is determined by other factors. I'm surprised this is happening in San Fran, because I've heard arguments like this for ages, and they are all very right wing arguments.

I wholeheartedly agree with you about condoms and suchlike though. Although calloused? Have you ever seen a circumcised penis?

 

[Casual Shinji]

Yes, most instances of female circumcision are a lot more damaging than those concerning males. That being said, I still disagree with the belief that parents have the right to alter their children for non-medical reasons. I don't think circumcision should be banned outright, of course. Adults should be allowed to do as they please with their own bodies, and circumcision does have valid medical applications.

I think it'd be more acurate to say that all female circumcisions are a lot more damaging compared to males. But these days when the majority of Jews and Moslims don't live in desert tribs anymore, I don't see a reason for the male circumcision either. You can afterall pull the damn thing back and wash it like that, it's not too difficult.
Heck, my little one-eyed monster still has his shower cap and I'm the picture of health...minus a few pounds.

I don't know if male circumcision should be banned, but female circumcision definitely should and the people who performed it thrown in jail.

 

[JaredXE]

Why ban it? It's quick and clean, done at a time when the child will not remember the pain, helps keep the kid healthier when they get older and (despite so may people saying it) THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT IT DETRACTS FROM SEXUAL PLEASURE!

That one is the big one, the eroneous belief that a man feels LESS sensation when he's circumsized than if he weren't. For one....prove it. Two, circumsized men still are capable of reaching climax, still capable of pleasing their partners, and ladies.....do you really want men to have a MORE sensitive penis?

Male circumcision is nowhere near the same as female. Female circumcision's SOLE PURPOSE is to prevent women from feeling pleasure. It's mutilation with malicious intent.

 

[Koroviev]

Is there some passage in the Jewish Bible stating "Thou shalt slit thy johnson because God demands it"? Because if there isn't (and even then) I think it needs a serious re-examination as a tradition.

...Actually, there is a passage like that. Even worse, it technically says you are supposed to do it with a sharp rock. Now I kind of want to go reread Genesis to find the exact quote.

Just Google variants of it. If it exists, you'll find it online.