Dr. Judith Wasserheit (University of Washington):
"All providers who care for pregnant women and infants have a responsibility to assure that mothers and fathers know that circumcision could help protect their sons from the three most common and most serious viral sexually transmitted infections, all of which cannot currently be cured."While it is important to note any protection circumcision may provide, I can't see this as adequate justification for involuntary circumcision. Why is it that the US, a society scandalised by the suggestion that 12 year olds get HPV vaccines, is the head of the snipping fan club?
People are afraid of a little scrunch on their dick. It has nothing to do with the health of the infant.
This is no reason to perform circumcision before boys can consent. It's a factor that can be taken into account once they reach that age, but it's time to stop cutting up your damn babies.
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Well, lets not forget that a condom completely covers the penis. The protective effect could only hypothetically come into play when a a person has unprotected sex with an infected partner.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I KNOW that I will never be in that situation, since I was raised to understand how STD's are transmitted, and that being safe is very important.
Removing thousands upon thousands of MY nerve-endings under the impression that I won't be willing to wear a condom, or be selective with my partners is an INSULT.
Do you know that they actually found FGM reduces the risk of HIV transmission as well. Of course those studies were brought to a halt because they were unethical (Thank goodness). As you said in your Youtube video, it is about time we showed both genders equal respect.
You are right to question studies like this. They are often completely flawed as well. Men who become circumcised for the purpose of a study will obviously have inherent behavioral differences from men who sign up for a study, and then forget about it. There are too many variables to control for in these studies. And the fact that those running the studies WANT to find benefits of circumcision is no small bias either.
no she's not :)
ReplyDeleteThe point is the ability to choose for oneself whether one wants bodily modifications performed on oneself. Health issues, preferences, etcetera are secondary to this.
ReplyDeleteIt is strange how some people in the US and other countries think it is unusual or unclean to be uncircumcised. That would be the same as saying natural breasts are unusual or ugly.