Poll: Bans on Circumcision?

[Lexodus]

Why would you ban it? I'm circumcised, and the only time I've ever had an issue with being so is when somebody finds out I'm Jewish and their immediate question is 'Lolol do u haz a forskin guyz', and not because I'm ashamed to say no, because I'm not (and in my opinion uncut does look disgusting), instead because some fat bearded fuck is asking me what my schwonce looks like. Besides, health benefits, whilst small, are still benefits, particularly with kids, who often don't want to bathe or clean themselves.

I think encouraging kids to bathe is a lot less extreme than performing surgery on them /:

That's not really the issue. I've never minded myself, I don't know anyone who has, and when you get it young you don't feel or remember it at all. Particularly if you're Jewish; they get you drunk first. The more pressing issue there is religion creating a wave of alcoholic toddlers

 

[Verlander]

I'm relieved to hear that.

What do you mean they don't go into shock? they start falling asleep. that's shock.

i know people have circumcisions and go on to have normal lives and all that. i'm not going to tell somebody they're a total moron for choosing to have it done. I might question why they would want to lose half the nerve endings on their penis, but whatever... maybe they find they're oversensitive, or that sex is far too pleasurable for them, or something.

as for uncircumcised penises being harder to wash, well... i guess. extra folds and all, but heaps of us have to make do with our bits that are harder to wash than most other people's. i, for instance, am fat. those folds are a ***** to get clean, but i manage it. i apologise if that's tmi, but you hear what i'm saying. i don't think the fact that it's easier to clean is grounds enough to do it. i do however think that the fact that it sends babies into shock (sorry, i'm not going to agree with you on that matter. i've seen footage and it was alarming), it cuts off half the nerve endings down there, it was promoted by fundamentalist christians whose aim was to stop boys from touching themselves, it's unnecessary surgery and, hello, it makes your dick smaller!! is enough reason NOT to do it.

They don't go into shock though! I go to sleep every night, that isn't going into shock!

From a family of surgeons and doctors, I can assure you that in western countries, like the UK, babies are anesthetized like is standard procedure in all surgical operations. When my little brother was circumcised, he was bouncing up and down and a plastic toddler bike the very same night! He had a nappy on, and was on mild painkiller medication, but beyond that it's nothing.

As for personal hygiene, it's just that. Personal. I can't say that one guy had better hygiene than another, just because of a circumcision. I can only really go with the average

As for stopping the nerve endings that give you pleasure in sex, that's close to impossible to prove. Circumcised men have never complained about not enjoying sex, or have lost their sex drive because of it. Unlike a vasectomy or castration, nearly all of the organ and it's hormones are still there.

It's not unnecessary either. Some people need to do it, when they are born. Some have deformed foreskins, some catch them, some have too small a hole to pee through, or one that will rip the foreskin when the child becomes erect. All are very good reasons to remove it. There is no tangible benefit to keeping it, while there are several reasons a person might need to loose it.

Finally, it doesn't make your dick smaller. When you are erect, it is exactly the same size, as your foreskin retracts, and when it is flaccid, there may be only a couple of millimeters different, max. I don't know who you're trying to show off to with your flaccid penis, a lot of women aren't interested in them like that

 

[mirasiel]

I would rather keep my kids as safe as possible.

Buy a chastity belt then, at least you can easily reverse that decision when you deem them responsible enough to wield a penis.

 

[Koroviev]

Just to toss in a medical reason for circumcision:

Several types of research have documented that male circumcision significantly reduces the risk of HIV acquisition by men during penile-vaginal sex.

This information is from: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/circumcision.htm

If you follow other research in the field you also find that men who are circumcised have lower risks of getting other types of STD's as well.

I don't dispute this. As a matter of fact, circumcision is not such a bad idea in developing nations. However, it is not as practical when it comes to developed nations. Condoms are not only more effective at protecting men, but also protect women. Therefore, I think it makes more sense to encourage condom usage, a much less extreme, yet much more effective alternative to circumcision.

I agree with what you said. I also know that the youth of developed nations aren't the brightest folk. As a parent, do you want to trust that your kids will always use protection and that they will have one or very few sexual partners with whom they could contract an STD? Circumcising your boys can help keep them safer. That reasoning may not be good enough for you, and that's fine. I would rather keep my kids as safe as possible.

It's kind of a perverse incentive. By emphasizing the modest efficacy of circumcision, you give kids a reason to ignore the much more effective alternative that protects both parties involved.

 

[etherlance]

My older brother had a circumcision for a medica reason of which I shall not discuss but if you don't need it and its not part of your religion then....well.....


......why the fuck would you willingly have someone slice a bit of your dick off?

 

[Koroviev]

So basically, it's okay to do immoral things as long as your culture and/or religion is all for it.

Guess it's time to start my own cult <__<

 

[bassdrum]

It should be the choice of the boy/man himself if he wants himself snipped. I can't imagine WHY somebody would want to remove part of their body for no particular reason, but it's their call if they want to cut it off. Parents have no right to chop bits off of their son's penis, it's his prerogative to have it done if he really wants to.

So, to answer the question at hand, I don't think it should be banned, but it should be something that a man opts into as an educated and informed adult.

 

[Lexodus]

Finally, it doesn't make your dick smaller. When you are erect, it is exactly the same size, as your foreskin retracts, and when it is flaccid, there may be only a couple of millimeters different, max. I don't know who you're trying to show off to with your flaccid penis, a lot of women aren't interested in them like that

I lol'd there. It certainly doesn't make it any smaller

 

[Shirokurou]

I think religion should be banned, but that's beside the point, as you mentioned...

Medically.
I say wait for the child to grow to the age where he has a voice in the matter. And leave it up to him

 

[Breadroller]

Just to toss in a medical reason for circumcision:

Several types of research have documented that male circumcision significantly reduces the risk of HIV acquisition by men during penile-vaginal sex.

This information is from: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/circumcision.htm

If you follow other research in the field you also find that men who are circumcised have lower risks of getting other types of STD's as well.

I was going to post this. Thank you, sir, for posting it even earlier.

Regarding circumcision, at the moment at least, there is scientific evidence to support health benefits that outweigh the risks.
Regarding an age of consent of 18 or so, I think that would be a terrible idea. Circumcision is a preventative measure, because of which many people have difficulty seriously assessing the real benefit.

Say, for example, if the procedure was, for some reason, PROVEN to prevent the flu, 100% guaranteed. How many of males, even if it were proven that it could prevent a disease would voluntarily take a knife to the junk? That's with a real disease that people get frequently, and people every year die from. Now replace that disease with a disease with lower incidence, and can be prevented with cautious behavior. How many people do you think would really properly assess the preventive value to pain one would associate with circumcision?

 

[Koroviev]

Just to toss in a medical reason for circumcision:

Several types of research have documented that male circumcision significantly reduces the risk of HIV acquisition by men during penile-vaginal sex.

This information is from: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/circumcision.htm

If you follow other research in the field you also find that men who are circumcised have lower risks of getting other types of STD's as well.

I was going to post this. Thank you, sir, for posting it even earlier.

Regarding circumcision, at the moment at least, there is scientific evidence to support health benefits that outweigh the risks.
Regarding an age of consent of 18 or so, I think that would be a terrible idea. Circumcision is a preventative measure, because of which many people have difficulty seriously assessing the real benefit.

Say, for example, if the procedure was, for some reason, PROVEN to prevent the flu, 100% guaranteed. How many of males, even if it were proven that it could prevent a disease would voluntarily take a knife to the junk? That's with a real disease that people get frequently, and people every year die from. Now replace that disease with a disease with lower incidence, and can be prevented with cautious behavior. How many people do you think would really properly assess the preventive value to pain one would associate with circumcision?

If you remove your lungs you can't get lung cancer!

 

[Just_A_Glitch]

I wasn't circumsised when I was born. Instead, I got snipped when I was thirteen.

Gross story, my penis got infected. I don't remember all the details, but yeah. The doctors said it was because of the foreskin, so I had to get it snipped two days before Christmas. Tell you what, that was an interesting Christmas. Got extra presents. Overall, it was worth it. Plus the health and whatnot.

Since then, I've always been pro-circumcision. If I ever have male children, they will be circumsised, no matter what the mother says.

 

[Monshroud]

Just to toss in a medical reason for circumcision:

Several types of research have documented that male circumcision significantly reduces the risk of HIV acquisition by men during penile-vaginal sex.

This information is from: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/circumcision.htm

If you follow other research in the field you also find that men who are circumcised have lower risks of getting other types of STD's as well.

I don't dispute this. As a matter of fact, circumcision is not such a bad idea in developing nations. However, it is not as practical when it comes to developed nations. Condoms are not only more effective at protecting men, but also protect women. Therefore, I think it makes more sense to encourage condom usage, a much less extreme, yet much more effective alternative to circumcision.

I agree with what you said. I also know that the youth of developed nations aren't the brightest folk. As a parent, do you want to trust that your kids will always use protection and that they will have one or very few sexual partners with whom they could contract an STD? Circumcising your boys can help keep them safer. That reasoning may not be good enough for you, and that's fine. I would rather keep my kids as safe as possible.

It's kind of a perverse incentive. By emphasizing the modest efficacy of circumcision, you give kids a reason to ignore the much more effective alternative that protects both parties involved.

Not at all. This discussion didn't talk about the need for Sexual Education which is paramount. I am very PRO sex-ed in schools and from parents. Still the most educated kids get caught up in the moment. I know plenty of people who had an "oops" when a condom broke and kept going. The heat of passion is a powerful thing, and sometimes all the education in the world can't stop it.

 

[MR.Spartacus]

Here's a thought what with medicine and all that cal(allegedly at least)being modern and civil. Why not do it on a case by case basis? If needs to be done do it. If not, well go on guess! Also doing anything for "tradition" and nothing else strikes me as a bit asinine.

Also off topic but a bit related.
When I wrote "tradition" I also Immediately thought of "Fiddler On The Roof" and hey weren't the main characters jewish? It made me giggle. Edit:I hope this doesn't offend too many people. It's just a somewhat awkward coincidence

 

[LadyRhian]

Personally I'm not a big fan of any forced circumcision, religious or otherwise. Let them hit 18 and see if they want it.

But more than that, people (religious or not) need to take a good step back and ask themselves why they're doing it. Okay so if you're Jewish you get it cut early, but what purpose does that serve? I'm sure there was some perfectly valid reason 2000 years ago, perhaps to do with their concept of hygiene or even chastity (nip the tip and they'll be less tempted to touch it, maybe), but is it still even relevant? 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.

I don't think it's so much to do with 'their concept' as it is to do with good old regular hygiene. A surprising amount of the Jewish religious restrictions make perfectly good sense when viewed in the context of where and when they lived.

A lot of taboos make a great deal of sense if you step back and think about them.

The probations against "the ingestion of blood" that the Jehovah's Witness get mocked about today makes a massive amount of sense if viewed in context of the time, drinking human blood or eating human flesh is a very very bad idea, you can catch normally non-transmutable illnesses that way (famous case of prion disease that kept getting passed down in the same tribe because when someone died their family would eat their brain in a ritual).

That would be Kuru, aka "Laughing Sickness", where you can't stop laughing. Not fun, actually.

The taboo against eating pork also has a very good reason behind it if viewed in context, undercooked pork is a great way to get very sick.

There are also parasites you can get from eating pork, like tapeworms. Same from eating stuff like bear meat.

There are many other religious taboos that make more sense if you view them in context of the time when they came into effect, a lot of them started off as practical daily rules that just became dogma over time.

Women in medieval times apparently found Jewish men sexually irresistable, which was one reason for the man on Christians and Jews intermarrying. Why were they so irresistable? Their men actually bathed on a regular basis, much more so than Christian men. Women like men to smell nice. What a shock!

If female is banned for good reason, why does not the same reason apply to males? Both are getting mutilated genitals, both can affect enjoyment from sexual encounters in a negative fashion (girls more than guys, granted, but the point still stands), both are held up by archaic and outdated beliefs that seek to control people. Unless you have a bad infection going on, there's no good reason to remove the foreskin.

Female circumcision removes any possibility that the woman can enjoy sex. Which means that it turns every sex act for her into rape. Female circumcision isn't like male circumcision. It's less like removing part, and more like taking it all. It's also far more medically risky than male circumcision.

I am in favor of not doing it to a kid as a child except for medical reasons or religious reasons. However, I think that would pretty much mean the same as banning it, because leaving it until the kid turns 18 would make it virtually disappear. No man, without some serious medical reason, is going to want to lose part of his penis.

I also agree, as with other posters, that the primary reasons are hygiene-based. If you have one, you have to clean under it really well, or there is a definite smell that women just don't like. Not only will sex be out of the question, but so will oral sex.

 

[Quickening666]

Medical reasons yes. But otherwise it should be illegal until a person is 18.

Its not circumcision. Thats just a pretty word for "GENITAL MUTILATION". Its a sick and twisted act commited by demented and sick religious types.

This. It's an absolutely abhorrent practise that has no place in a civilised society. Kenko is right, parents who do this to their child are mutilating them. Nothing more and nothing less and all the reasons in the world don't change that fact.

 

[mirasiel]

I was going to post this. Thank you, sir, for posting it even earlier.

Regarding circumcision, at the moment at least, there is scientific evidence to support health benefits that outweigh the risks.
Regarding an age of consent of 18 or so, I think that would be a terrible idea. Circumcision is a preventative measure, because of which many people have difficulty seriously assessing the real benefit.

Say, for example, if the procedure was, for some reason, PROVEN to prevent the flu, 100% guaranteed. How many of males, even if it were proven that it could prevent a disease would voluntarily take a knife to the junk? That's with a real disease that people get frequently, and people every year die from. Now replace that disease with a disease with lower incidence, and can be prevented with cautious behavior. How many people do you think would really properly assess the preventive value to pain one would associate with circumcision?

If cicumcision maybe stopped you get the flu at a %40 rate but wearing a condom stopped it at a %90 rate then I might understand you're point and say "Well wear a condom dummy" but right now I dont see what actual logical argument you are trying to make.

 

[newfoundsky]

I'm 16 and the deed was done when I was born. I haven't looked back and said "I miss my foreskin." Let em' be. Besides, it's apparently much easier to keep clean.