Isn’t it weird to perform permanent elective surgery on the genitals of male infants? Shouldn’t that be something up to an adult to decide on, since it is his body and maybe as an adult he would want to have his genitals intact?
It’s extra weird that birthers are so concerned with whether Obama is circumcised or not. Because not being circumcised is ‘foreign’.
And it is concerning that there are advocates of mandatory circumcision for all male infants born in the US because of a misapplied study on HIV-transmission done in Kenya, South Africa and Uganda. Advocates may soon include the Center for Disease Control… which is scary. This could actually happen. Men, time to rise up!
Read what Smile Pretty & Watch Your Back sez.
See the New York Times article.
8 comments
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August 31, 2009 at 11:38 pm
zpmadd
Thanks for the link!
August 31, 2009 at 11:48 pm
satansez
It is very bizarre! As I scrolled through your link and found this phrase:
“The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is encouraging routine circumcision of infant males as part of an effort to curb HIV transmission.”
I started laughing hysterically! The manner in which they put it – forms a picture in ones’ mind of male infants crawling around humping women and transmitting HIV. This has got to be one of the most preposterous encouragements spewed from the CDC, ever!
Maybe the male members of the CDC need to have their ‘heads’ examined (pun intended, of course)!
September 1, 2009 at 8:56 am
Mark Lyndon
In Europe, almost no-one circumcises unless they’re Muslim or Jewish, and they have significantly lower rates of almost all STI’s including HIV.
Even in Africa, there are six countries where men are more likely to be HIV+ if they’ve been circumcised: Rwanda, Cameroon, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, and Swaziland. Eg in Malawi, the HIV rate is 13.2% among circumcised men, but only 9.5% among intact men. In Cameroon, the HIV rate is 4.1% among circumcised men, but only 1.1% among intact men. If circumcision really worked against AIDS, this just wouldn’t happen. We now have people calling circumcision a “vaccine” or “invisible condom”, and viewing circumcision as an alternative to condoms.
ABC (Abstinence, Being faithful, Condoms) is the way forward. Promoting genital surgery will cost lives, not save them.
September 1, 2009 at 11:07 am
idyllicmollusk
@zpmadd
You are welcome!
Thanks for the numbers Mark. Even if it provided a tiny amount of “AIDS protection” later in life, I would still be against permanent, elective surgery done on anyone without consent. It only strengthens my view that the evidence (as you present it) doesn’t even support circumcision as an AIDS inhibitor.
I disagree with ABC. That hasn’t been proven to reduce AIDS transmission anywhere. Pious moralizing doesn’t solve AIDS any better than circumcision!
For those in areas affected by the AIDS epidemic, poverty, misinformation and the disempowerment of women are to blame. Women don’t have the option to say ‘no’ to rape, whether marital, acquaintance, or stranger. Women don’t have the option to prevent their husbands from visiting prostitutes. Prostitutes don’t have the option to stop prostituting, as they are either being coerced by a person or coerced by their poverty.
Things that will actually move us forward:
Good schools which both boys & girls can attend equally
Continued information campaigns
High quality medical services
Housing security
Access to good food and water
Income security/an end to economic exploitation
An end to rape culture
Women’s empowerment
Peace
September 3, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Rob F
Having read Wikipedia’s article on Circumcision and HIV I conclude that there may be some evidence of a protective effect. However, even if it has a protective effect, there are still some reasons why I think that it is not the best way to fight the AIDS Pandemic. The are, (in no particular order and non-exhaustive):
*The ethical issues involving doing irreversible, non-medically necessary surgery on someone incapable of consenting to it
*It does not protect women from getting AIDS
*I don’t see any evidence that it prevents the spread of other STD’s, such as gonorrhea or syphilis
*Unhygienic practices during the procedure may actually spread infections
Hence, even if circumcision reduces HIV transmission, it is no end-all be-all magic bullet to end the AIDS pandemic.
January 14, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Restoring Tally
The whole circumcision issue is wierd. I was circumcised at birth and really wish the choice was left to me. I would still be intact. I am restoring my foreskin and the difference between being cut and having a foreskin, even a restored one, is amazing. I really, really wish I had noever been cut.
It is really weird how some people really advocate cutting the genitals of infant boys. They often use the conclusions of the Africa trials as support. But, those trials only claim that there is a reduction of HIV risk for men who are circumcised. There is a study based on the Africa trials that found that women have a substantially increased risk of HIV because of male circumcision. But no one talks abut this study. Butm the pro-circ crowd states that the the risk is reduced for women because circumcision will reduce the number of HIV guys. Sheesh!
January 15, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Robert
“I conclude that there may be some evidence of a protective effect. ”
But from a scientific viewpoint, this alleged reduction claim is not credible–studies showing it are fatally flawed and this reduction is NOT seen in the real world. So, even the “may” have no scientific credibility.
Merely HAVING studies does not mean that they are scientifically credible.
THIS is the flaw when advocating circumcision, all oif the alleged benefits really do not exist.
August 5, 2011 at 4:40 am
A Jewish Male Opposing Circumcision
…….. There is a movement of Jews who are questioning circumcision, and working to end this abuse of children. The movement ranges from the Orthodox to the secular, and includes mothers, fathers, scholars, historians, medical professionals, activists, and intellectuals.
Jewish Groups for Genital Integrity
* Jews Against Circumcision http://www.jewsagainstcircumcision.org/
* Brit Shalom Celebrants by Mark D. Reiss, M.D. http://www.circumstitions.com/Jewish-shalom.html
* Questioning Circumcision: A Jewish Perspective by Ron Goldman, Ph.D. http://www.jewishcircumcision.org
* The Current Judaic Movement to End Circumcision: Part 1
http://intactnews.org/node/105/1311886372/jewish-voices-current-judaic-movement-end-circumcision-part-1
The Kindest Un-Cut Feminism, Judaism, and My Son’s Foreskin by Professor Michael S. Kimmel
http://www.cirp.org/pages/cultural/kimmel1/
Jewish Intactivist Miriam Pollack has some great commentary on Foreskin Man in this recent interview.
http://www.beyondthebris.com/2011/07/defying-convention-interview-with_27.html
Jews Speak Out in Favor of Banning Circumcision on Minors
http://intactnews.org/node/103/1311885181/jews-speak-out-favor-banning-circumcision-minors ….