Sunday, March 30, 2014

Male Circumcision

Male Circumcision
By: Courtney Brown

Male circumcision is seen as a socially acceptable practice that is done today by most parents. Male circumcision is surgical removal of some or the entire foreskin of a man’s penis. People have their male child circumcised as a baby today mostly because they see it as unclean or just because everyone else does it. According to the CDC male circumcision will reduce and lower the risk of STDs and acquiring HIV from an infected partner. The risks of this procedure include pain, bleeding, and infection. [1]
To have foreskin is a good thing according to some doctors because it protects the penis from irritants of urine and feces that may not be cleaned off well enough. The foreskin is very sensitive and when removed the penis will lose a lot of sensitivity because the glans become hard and tough. In sexual intercourse, a man who is circumcised will not feel as much pleasure as a man who isn't because of loss of sensitivity therefore leading to usage of lubricants for satisfaction. The practice of circumcision is solely based on the wants of the parents and their opinions but in reality not being circumcised isn't such a bad thing because it can be just as clean as a circumcised penis. Circumcision originated a long time ago because it is even mentioned in the bible in Exodus and the Book of Genesis. In Exodus it tells of Moses son being circumcised with a flint knife by his mother. In Genesis it tells of Abraham being circumcised in return for being the father of a many nations and all of his sons after him on the eighth day of life. [2]
As you can see circumcision has been practiced for a long time but did it come to mind that these things were done before the invention of medicine? These circumcisions were completed without any medicines and most of the time with unclean objects. Today they are still done with minor medications to ease pain but not to stop pain. Circumcision is also done as a religious reason such as in Indian cultures which is a tradition for young boys in coming-of-age rituals. Medically it is not necessary but can be used to treat certain medical conditions. [3] In the 19th century doctors were obsessed with giving male children circumcisions because it was supposed to stop masturbation and was defined as a hygienic procedure. If this big idea that masturbation could be prevented by circumcision had never started and that it prevented various hygienic disorders I don’t believe it would be around today. Circumcision does not prevent hygienic disorders nor does not being circumcised if it’s not kept clean.

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[1] Center for Disease Control and Prevention, "Male Circumcision; HIV/Aids." Last modified 04 15, 2013. Accessed March 30, 2014. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/prevention/research/malecircumcision/.
[2] Warren, John. Church and State, "The Foreskin and the Origins of Circumcision." Last modified 11 27, 2012. Accessed March 30, 2014. http://churchandstate.org.uk/2012/11/the-foreskin-and-the-origins-of-circumcision/.
[3] BBC, "Cultural and health aspects to circumcision." Last modified 2014. Accessed March 30, 2014. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/malecircumcision/cultural_1.

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