Child circumcision: Difference between revisions
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"Male '''circumcision''' (from Latin ''circumcidere'', meaning "to cut around") is the surgical removal or [[amputation]] of the [[foreskin]] (prepuce), a major part of the human [[penis]]. Circumcision amputates ''more than fifty percent'' of the epithelium of the [[penis]].<ref name="taylor1996">{{TaylorJR LockwoodAP TaylorAJ 1996}}</ref> When the "cutting around" is performed, the foreskin falls off, so [[amputation]] and [[mutilation]] is the result, leaving the delicate and sensitive mucosa of the [[glans penis]] exposed and unprotected against [[trauma]] and [[infection]]. The amputation destroys the [[Foreskin#Physiological_functions| many protective, immunological, sexual, and sensory physiological functions]] of the foreskin, so it is a very harmful and [[Pain| painful]] surgery.<ref name="garrett2023-11-10">{{REFweb | "Male '''circumcision''' (from Latin ''circumcidere'', meaning "to cut around") is the surgical removal or [[amputation]] of the [[foreskin]] (prepuce), a major part of the human [[penis]]. Circumcision amputates ''more than fifty percent'' of the epithelium of the [[penis]].<ref name="taylor1996">{{TaylorJR LockwoodAP TaylorAJ 1996}}</ref> When the "cutting around" is performed, the foreskin falls off, so [[amputation]] and [[mutilation]] is the result, leaving the delicate and sensitive mucosa of the [[glans penis]] exposed and unprotected against [[trauma]] and [[infection]]. The amputation destroys the [[Foreskin#Physiological_functions| many protective, immunological, sexual, and sensory physiological functions]] of the foreskin, so it is a very harmful and [[Pain| painful]] surgery.<ref name="garrett2023-11-10">{{REFweb | ||
|url=https://intactamerica.org/pros-and-cons-of-circumcision/ | |url=https://intactamerica.org/pros-and-cons-of-circumcision/ | ||
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}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
Child circumcision is a harmful, unethical, and highly profitable medical practice. | |||
Circumcision of boys in the [[United States]] hit its high point in 1965 and has been slowly declining in popularity ever since. Less than 1/2 of the newborn boys in the United States were [[circumcised]] in 2022. Yang et al. (2025) reported the rate of decline in the incidence of infant circumcision in their study period was 5/10s of one percent per year.<ref name="yang2025">{{REFjournal | |||
|last= | |last=Yang | ||
|first= | |first= | ||
|init= | |init=P | ||
|author-link= | |author-link= | ||
|last2= | |last2=Zhu | ||
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|etal=no | |last3=Patel | ||
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|last4=Quin | |||
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|last5=Grabowski | |||
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|init5=MK | |||
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|last6=Tobian | |||
|first6= | |||
|init6=AAR | |||
|author6-link=Aaron Tobian | |||
|etal=no | |||
|title=Trends in Circumcision Among Newborn Males in the US | |||
|trans-title= | |trans-title= | ||
|language= | |language= | ||
|journal= | |journal=JAMA Pediatrics | ||
|date= | |location= | ||
|volume= | |date=2025-10-02 | ||
|issue= | |season= | ||
|pages= | |volume= | ||
|url=https:// | |issue= | ||
|archived= | |article=e252464 | ||
|page= | |||
|pages= | |||
|url=https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2838312 | |||
|archived= | |||
|quote= | |quote= | ||
|pubmedID= | |pubmedID=40952753 | ||
|pubmedCID= | |pubmedCID=12439174 | ||
|DOI=10. | |DOI=10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.2464 | ||
|accessdate=2025-09-17 | |||
|accessdate= | }}</ref> That long-term declining trend is believed to have continued. | ||
}}</ref> | |||
'''[[Posthectomy]]''' is the more accurate medical term that more accurately reflects the injury and loss of functional body tissue, but the Biblical [[euphemism]], ''circumcision'', is more commonly used. | |||
|last= | With reference to involuntary, non-therapeutic circumcision of children, [[Child Genital Cutting (CGC)]] is a newer term that has been introduced to avoid issues associated with more traditional terms. Bollinger (2023) identifed CGC as an [[Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)| adverse childhood experience]].<ref name="bollinger2023">{{REFjournal | ||
|last=Bollinger | |||
|init= | |init=D | ||
|author-link= | |author-link=Dan Bollinger | ||
|last2= | |last2= | ||
|init2= | |||
|init2= | |||
|author2-link= | |author2-link= | ||
| | |url=https://kindredmedia.org/2023/02/adverse-childhood-experiences-dysfunctional-households-and-circumcision/ | ||
|title= | |title=Adverse Childhood Experiences, Dysfunctional Households, And Circumcision. | ||
|journal= | |journal=Kindred | ||
|date= | |date=2023-02-28 | ||
| | |volume= | ||
| | |issue= | ||
| | |pages= | ||
|accessdate= | |accessdate=2023-03-01 | ||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
Tye & Sardi (2022) concluded that parents must consider "psychological or psychosocial effects of circumcision,"<ref name="tye2022"> {{REFjournal | |||
|last= | |last=Tye | ||
|first= | |first= | ||
|init= | |init=MC | ||
|author-link= | |author-link= | ||
|last2= | |last2=Sardi | ||
|first2= | |first2= | ||
|init2= | |init2=LM | ||
|author2-link= | |author2-link=Lauren Sardi | ||
|etal=no | |||
|title=Psychological, psychosocial, and psychosexual aspects of penile circumcision | |||
|trans-title= | |||
|language= | |||
|journal=Int J Impot Res | |||
|date=2023-05 | |||
|volume=35 | |||
|issue=3 | |||
|pages=242-8 | |||
|url=https://www.galdef.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Tye-Sardi-Psycho-Aspects-of-Penile-Circumcision-IJIR-2022.pdf | |||
|etal=no | |||
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|journal=J | |||
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| | |||
|url=https://www. | |||
|archived= | |archived= | ||
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|pubmedID= | |pubmedID=35347302 | ||
|pubmedCID= | |pubmedCID= | ||
|DOI=10. | |DOI=10.1038/s41443-022-00553-9 | ||
|format=PDF | |format=PDF | ||
|accessdate=2024-12-18 | |||
|accessdate= | |||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
== | Deacon & Muir (2022) have reviewed the evidence and concluded that "there is no medical justification for performing a circumcision prior to an age that he can assess the known risks and potential benefits, and choose to give or withhold [[informed consent]] himself."<ref name="deacon2022">{{REFjournal | ||
|last=Deacon | |||
|first=Matthew | |||
|init=M | |||
|author-link= | |||
|last2=Muir | |||
|first2=Gordon | |||
|init2=G | |||
|author2-link= | |||
|etal=no | |||
|title=What is the medical evidence on non-therapeutic child circumcision? | |||
|journal= Int J Impot Res | |||
|date=2022-01-08 | |||
|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41443-021-00502-y | |||
|pubmedID=34997197 | |||
|DOI=10.1038/s41443-021-00502-y | |||
|accessdate=2022-01-30 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
|last= | |||
Fendereski et al. (2024) reported a massive study using data from a private insurance company database that found that [[circumcised]] boys have three times as many penile issues as compared with [[intact]] boys through age 5. This study matched 852,051 [[circumcised]] boys with 852,051 [[intact]] boys who served as controls.<ref name=fendereski2024">{{REFjournal | |||
|last=Fendereski | |||
|first= | |first= | ||
|init= | |init=K | ||
|author-link= | |author-link= | ||
|last2= | |last2=Horns | ||
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|init2= | |init2=JJ | ||
|author2-link= | |author2-link= | ||
|last3= | |last3=Driggs | ||
|first3= | |first3= | ||
|init3= | |init3=N | ||
|author3-link= | |author3-link= | ||
|last4= | |last4=Lau | ||
|first4= | |first4= | ||
|init4= | |init4=G | ||
|author4-link= | |author4-link= | ||
|last5= | |last5=Shaeffer | ||
|first5= | |first5= | ||
|init5= | |init5=AJ | ||
|author5-link= | |author5-link= | ||
|etal=no | |etal=no | ||
|title= | |title=Comparing Penile Problems in Circumcised vs. Uncircumcised Boys: Insights From a Large Commercial Claims Database With a Focus on Provider Type Performing Circumcision | ||
|trans-title= | |trans-title= | ||
|journal= | |language= | ||
|date= | |journal=J Pediatr Surg | ||
|volume= | |date=2024-11 | ||
|issue= | |volume=59 | ||
|article= | |issue=11 | ||
|article=161614 | |||
|url=https:// | |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002234682400407X | ||
|archived= | |archived= | ||
|quote= | |quote= | ||
|pubmedID= | |pubmedID=39084960 | ||
|pubmedCID= | |pubmedCID=11486584 | ||
|DOI=10. | |DOI=10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2024.06.022 | ||
|accessdate=2025- | |accessdate=2025-01-03 | ||
}}</ref> These findings are not surprising since the human [[foreskin]] provides both [[Immunological and protective function of the foreskin| protective and immunological functions]] against both physical [[trauma]] and [[infection]]. Obviously, [[circumcised]] boys lack these protections. | |||
[[Dan Bollinger]] (2025) enumerated the many harms and injuries caused by medically-unnecessary, non-therapeutic [[circumcision of the newborn]], its inherent violation of [[human rights]] and its degradation of health and well-being.<ref name="bollinger2025-08-27">{{REFdocument | |||
|title=Policy Paper: Newborn Circumcision as a Negative Wellness Factor | |||
|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/394517060_Policy_Paper_Newborn_Circumcision_as_a_Negative_Wellness_Factor | |||
|contribution= | |||
|last=Bollinger | |||
|first=Dan | |||
|publisher=Research Gate | |||
|format=PDF | |||
|date=2025-08 | |||
|accessdate=2025-08-29 | |||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
[[Dale Andersen| Andersen-Giberson]] (2025) discussed the disability caused by [[amputation]] of the functional [[foreskin]].<ref name="andersen2025">{{REFjournal | |||
|last=Andersen-Giberson | |||
|init=D | |||
|author-link=Dale Andersen | |||
< | |url=https://cdd.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/cdd/article/view/39786/36016 | ||
== | |title=Circumcision and forced disability: Routine male neonatal circumcision and the consequences of amputation within a critical disability studies framework | ||
|journal=Critical Disability Discourses | |||
|date=2025-12 | |||
|volume=10 | |||
|issue=2 | |||
|pages=1-37 | |||
|URL=https://cdd.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/cdd/article/view/39786/36016 | |||
|DOI=https://doi.org/10.25071/1918-6215.39786 | |||
|quote=In a critical disability studies framework, it is argued that the act of amputating healthy erogenous tissue and the consequences of that amputation cause disability, particularly from a counter-hegemonic lens. | |||
|format=PDF | |||
|accessdate=2026-03-14 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
==Design of circumcision procedure== | |||
The circumcision procedure carried out by medical doctors today is essentially the same as that mandated by Jewish rabbis in about 140 C.E. | |||
The original Jewish circumcision as mandated by Joshua at [[Gilgal]] consisted only of cutting off the overhanging portion of the [[foreskin]] that protruded beyond the [[glans penis]] with the aid of a protective device to prevent cutting the glans penis. | |||
Jewish men who wished to appear as Greeks found that they could restore their natural covered appearance of their [[penis]] by a process called [[epispasm]]. This angered the rabbis who then developed a second stage of the ritual circumcision procedure called ''periah''. | |||
[[Periah]] according to James Peron (2000): | |||
=== | <blockquote> | ||
Periah consists of tearing and stripping back the remaining inner mucosal lining of the foreskin from the glans and then, by use of a sharp finger nail or implement, removing all of the inner mucosal tissue, including the excising and removal of the [[frenulum]] from the underside of the [[glans]]. The objective was to insure that no part of the remaining penile skin would rest against the glans corona. If any shreds of the mucosal [[foreskin]] tissue remained, or rejoined to the underside of the glans, the child was to be re-circumcised.<ref name="peron2000">{{REFjournal | |||
|last=Peron | |||
|init=JE | |||
|author-link=James Peron | |||
|url=https://cirp.org/library/history/peron2/ | |||
|title=Circumcision: then and now | |||
|journal=Many Blessings | |||
|date=2000 | |||
|season=Spring | |||
|volume=III | |||
|issue= | |||
|pages=41-2 | |||
|accessdate=2023-08-23 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
</blockquote> | |||
The objective was to increase the loss of tissue and amount in harm and injury to the point where it would be impossible to recover the [[glans penis]]. This procedure, which caused maximum injury and harm, was the procedure adopted by the medical profession in the nineteenth century and is still used today by medical doctors. | |||
==Condemnation of child circumcision== | |||
[[Alfonso Cepeda-Emiliani| Cepeda-Emiliani]] et al. {2025) stated: | |||
<blockquote> | |||
Our results reinforce the relevance of [https://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/cold-taylor/ Cold and Taylor’s 11 1999 conclusions] (p. 42), which now seem more pertinent than ever: “The prepuce | |||
|last= | is a specialized, specific erogenous tissue in both males and females. | ||
|first= | Therefore, surgical excision should be restricted to lesions that are | ||
|init= | unresponsive to medical therapy. . . Preputial plasty should be considered in place of circumcision whenever possible, so as to preserve | ||
| | the corpuscular sensory receptors, dartos muscle, penile mucosa and | ||
| | complete function of the penis. . . Although a Fourcroy grade 1 female | ||
| | circumcision would excise less tissue than in a male, this comparison cannot be used to justify female circumcision. Excision of normal, | ||
| | erogenous genital tissue from healthy male or female children cannot | ||
| | be condoned, as the histology confirms that the external genitalia are | ||
| | specialized sensory tissues. . . Removal of normal genital anatomy in | ||
| | children and infants should be deferred until the individual can make an | ||
| | informed decision. If external genital tissue must be excised to combat | ||
a disease process that threatens the child’s health, and is unresponsive | |||
to medical therapy, then the amount of tissue should be limited so as to | |||
preserve the anatomy and function of the external genitalia.”<ref name="cepeda2025">{{REFjournal | |||
|last=Cepeda-Emiliani | |||
|first= | |||
|init=A | |||
|author-link=Alfonso Cepeda-Emiliani | |||
|last2=Otero-Alén | |||
|first2= | |||
|init2=M | |||
|author2-link= | |||
|last3=Suárez-Quintanilla | |||
|first3= | |||
|init3=J | |||
|author3-link= | |||
|last4=Gándara-Cortés | |||
| | |first4= | ||
|title= | |init4=M | ||
| | |author4-link= | ||
| | |last5=García-Caballero | ||
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| | |init5=T | ||
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| | |last6=García-Caballero | ||
| | |first6= | ||
| | |init6=R | ||
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|last7=García-Caballero | |||
|first7= | |||
|init7=L | |||
|author7-link= | |||
|etal=no | |||
|title=The sensory penis: A comprehensive immunohistological and ontogenetic exploration of human penile innervation | |||
|trans-title= | |||
|journal=Andrology | |||
|date=2025-09-19 | |||
|volume= | |||
|issue= | |||
|article= | |||
|pages=1-41 | |||
|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/andr.70118 | |||
|archived= | |||
|quote= | |quote= | ||
|pubmedID=40970806 | |||
|pubmedCID= | |||
|DOI=10.1111/andr.70118 | |||
|accessdate=2025-10-01 | |||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
</blockquote> | |||
==History== | |||
Circumcision was popularized in English-speaking nations in the nineteenth century. The practice of non-therapeutic circumcision of boys now has greatly declined in [[Australia]], [[Canada]], [[New Zealand]] and the [[United Kingdom]]. It has been gradually declining since 1980 in the [[United States]]. It has ''never'' been a popular practice in other western nations. Circumcision of boys is not done in the Russian Federation, Latin America, or [[China]]. In [[India]] only the minority Muslim population does circumcision of children. In Europe it is only done for religious reasons by Muslims and Jews. | |||
Circumcision is classified as a form of [[genital mutilation]]. | |||
<!-- | |||
== Rationale == | |||
Reasons for performing circumcision range widely by culture, religion, location, and age. | |||
--> | |||
===Cultural=== | |||
Many cultures perform circumcision as a rite of passage into manhood. This is common in the Middle East and amongst some indigenous African and Southeast Asian peoples. | |||
The [[United States]] and [[Israel]] are the only industrialized countries in the world to have a high incidence of non-therapeutic infant male circumcision. The vast majority of infant circumcisions performed in the [[United States]] are for non-religious, non-medical reasons. See [[History of circumcision]]. | |||
|last= | |||
=== No medical indication === | |||
There are no [[medical indication| medical indications]] for [[circumcision of the newborn]].<ref name="aap1971">{{REFbook | |||
|last=American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Fetus and Newborn | |||
|first= | |first= | ||
|init= | |init= | ||
|publisher= | |year=1971 | ||
| | |title=Standards and Recommendation for Hospital Care of Newborn infants | ||
|accessdate= | |url=https://www.cirp.org/library/statements/aap/#a1971 | ||
}}</ref> | |scope= | ||
|location=Evanston | |||
|publisher=American Academy of Pediatrics | |||
|ISBN= | |||
|accessdate=2025-03-13 | |||
}}</ref> The [[circumcision industry]] promotes [[circumcision of the newborn]] to the public because of the [[financial incentive]] to the doctor and to the maternity hospital. | |||
The form of circumcision adopted by the medical community essentially was equivalent to the Jewish form with ''[[periah]]'', so it inflicts the maximum injury and physical [[trauma]]. | |||
In a few cases with older patients, circumcision is legitimately indicated; a patient may be suffering recurring [[infection]], and other methods of treatment have failed. In other cases, a patient may be suffering from a severe case of [[phimosis]]. Overall, the actual medical necessity for circumcision is extremely rare since many conditions respond to conservative treatment. All circumcisions injure the patient by amputating the [[foreskin]] its with many protective, immunological, sensory, and sexual [[Foreskin#Physiological_functions| functions]]. | |||
# '''Deformed or malformed foreskin'''. A foreskin so deformed or malformed that it does not function properly may be excised by circumcision. | |||
# '''Traumatically injured foreskin'''. A foreskin so traumatically damaged that it cannot be surgically repaired is a valid medical reason for circumcision. | |||
# '''Diseased foreskin.''' A foreskin that is diseased may be a valid indication for circumcision. Some diseases that qualify are [[gangrene]], malignancy, lichen sclerosis, [[Balanitis#Diabetic_males| yeast infection in men with diabetes]], and recurrent [[balanoposthitis]]. | |||
In | In such cases, the benefit of removing the problem foreskin may exceed the maleficial harms of tissue and function destruction. | ||
====Arguments of prophylaxia==== | |||
| | Though the practice of ritual circumcision of males, both consenting and non-consenting, has existed for millenia, the search for "potential medical benefits" began relatively recently. {''Potential'' means to exist in possibility, but not in actuality, so a "''potential'' benefit" is not a genuine proven benefit.) The discussion of circumcision in the Ninth Edition of the ''Encyclopǽdia Britannica'' (1876) made no mention of any prophylactic, medical, or therapeutic value or function.<ref>{{REFweb | ||
| | |url=https://www.cirp.org/library/history/encyclopaediabritannica1876/ | ||
| | |title=Circumcision | ||
|author-link= | |last=Cheyne | ||
| | |first=T. K. | ||
| | |author-link= | ||
|date= | |publisher=Encyclopǽdia Brittanica | ||
| | |website=Circumcision Reference Library | ||
| | |date=1876 | ||
| | |accessdate=2019-11-10 | ||
|format= | |||
|quote= | |||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
Initially, circumcision was adopted in the 19th century as a way to stop boys and men from masturbating, when [[masturbation]] was claimed to be the cause for many diseases. As the myth that circumcision prevented masturbation became debunked, advocates of circumcision began the great search to find the "medical benefits" of circumcision. | |||
|last= | |||
|first= | Male and female circumcision involves the removal and disruption of normal anatomical structures that are primary areas of sexual sensation.<ref name="taylor1996"/> In the past, some advocates of mass circumcision have considered the [[prepuce]] to be a "mistake of nature,"<!--{{Cold and Wiswell (1995)}} | [[Template:Cold and Wiswell (1995)|see more]]--> but this notion has no validity because the prepuce is ubiquitous in primates and because it provides functional advantages.<ref name="cold-mcgrath1995">{{REFbook | ||
|init= | |last=Cold | ||
| | |first=Christopher | ||
|url=https:// | |init=C | ||
| | |last2=McGrath | ||
| | |first2=Kenneth | ||
| | |init2=K | ||
|volume= | |author2-link=Ken McGrath | ||
| | |year=1999 | ||
| | |title=Male and female circumcision: medical, legal, and ethical considerations in pediatric practice | ||
| | |url=https://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/cold-mcgrath/ | ||
| | |work= | ||
|accessdate= | |editor= | ||
|edition= | |||
|volume= | |||
|chapter=Anatomy and histology of the penile and clitoral prepuce in primates | |||
|pages= | |||
|location=New York | |||
|publisher= | |||
|isbn=0306461315 | |||
|quote= | |||
|accessdate=2019-10-12 | |||
|note= | |||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
All claims that circumcision prevents future disease are false.<ref>{{REFweb | |||
|url=https://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/for-professionals/alleged-medical-benefits/conclusions-and-references/ | |||
|title=Conclusions | |||
|last=Anonymous | |||
|first= | |||
|init= | |||
|publisher=Doctors Opposing Circumcision | |||
|date=2016 | |||
|accessdate=2023-10-22 | |||
}}</ref> They are made to enable a physician to perform circumcision and collect a fee. | |||
<!-- | |||
===Search for prophylactic reasons=== | |||
The practice of finding prophylactic reasons for infant circumcision started in Germany in the nineteenth century, when non-Jewish Germans criticized the Jewish practice of infant circumcision as being barbaric, Jewish doctors sprang to the defense of the religious practice by claiming health benefits.<ref name="ephron2001">{{REFbook | |||
|last=Ephron | |||
|first=John M. | |||
|init=JM | |||
|author-link= | |||
|year=2001 | |||
|title=Medicine and the German Jews | |||
|url=https://www.cirp.org/library/history/ephron1/ | |||
|work= | |||
|editor= | |||
|edition= | |||
|volume= | |||
|chapter=6 | |||
|pages=222-33 | |||
|location=New Haven | |||
|publisher={{UNI|Yale University|Yale}} Press | |||
|isbn=0-300-08377-7 | |||
|quote= | |||
|accessdate=2019-11-20 | |||
|note= | |||
}}</ref> And so started the long tradition of Jewish doctors inventing reasons for circumcision (and deceving gentile doctors). | |||
In the | Following the discovery of bacteria as a cause of many diseases – such as tuberculosis – the search began for other illnesses that could be prevented by circumcision. | ||
|last= | |||
|first= | In 1870 the prominent Dr. [[Lewis Albert Sayre|Lewis A. Sayre]] of NYC’s famed Bellevue Hospital<ref>https://nypost.com/2016/12/03/bellevues-doctors-invented-the-procedures-you-take-for-granted/</ref> claimed to cure a boy’s paralyzed legs with circumcision. Sayre's wild advocacy of circumcision exemplified how some [https://intaction.org/circumcision-facts-and-myths/ circumcision facts and myths] originated. He also claimed to cure epilepsy, mental disorders, hip-joint pain, & hernias with circumcision. “Genital irritations” & masturbation were deemed to be the cause of these issues. Sayre was later elected as the President of the American Medical Association. <ref>American Medical Association. Transactions of the American Medical Association. 1870;21:205–11</ref> | ||
|init= | |||
|author-link= | In the 1920s it was penile cancer. [[Abraham L. Wolbarst]] (1926) claims that circumcision can prevent penile cancer.<ref name="wolbarst1926">{{REFjournal | ||
|last=Wolbarst | |||
|title= | |first=Abraham L. | ||
|journal= | |init=AL | ||
|date= | |author-link=Abraham L. Wolbarst | ||
|volume= | |title=Is circumcision a prophylactic against penis cancer? | ||
|issue= | |journal=Cancer | ||
|pages= | |date=Jul 1926 | ||
|volume=3 | |||
|issue=4 | |||
|pages=301-10 | |||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
[[ | In the 1940s, prostate and tongue cancer as well as STDs. [[Eugene H. Hand]] (1949) falsely explains that circumcision somehow protects against venereal diseases and tongue cancer.<ref name="hand1949">{{REFjournal | ||
|last= | |last=Hand | ||
|first= | |first=Eugene H. | ||
|init= | |init=EH | ||
|author-link= | |author-link=Eugene H. Hand | ||
|title= | |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18135844/ | ||
|journal= | |title=Circumcision and venereal disease | ||
|date= | |journal=Archives of Dermatology and Syphilology | ||
|volume= | |date=1949-09 | ||
|issue= | |volume=60 | ||
| | |issue=3 | ||
| | |pages341-6 | ||
|DOI=10. | |pubmedID=18135844 | ||
|accessdate= | |DOI=10.1001/archderm.1949.01530030037004 | ||
|accessdate=2021-10-08 | |||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
In the 1950s it was cervical cancer. [[Abraham Ravich]] (1951) invents the myth that circumcision reduces the risk of women getting cervical cancer.<ref name="ravich1951">{{Ravich1951}}</ref> | |||
In the late 1960s it was neuroses. [[Morris Fishbein]] (1969) calls for circumcision to prevent nervousness and, of course, [[masturbation]].<ref>{{Fishbein1969}}</ref> | |||
}}</ref | |||
In the 1970s bladder- and rectal cancer. [[Abraham Ravich]] (1971) claims that circumcision would prevent bladder cancer and rectal cancer.<ref>{{Ravich1971}}</ref> | |||
In the 1980s, UTIs. [[Thomas E. Wiswell]] (1985) claims that circumcision, using a methodologically flawed report, reduces the risk of urinary tract infections.<ref name="wiswell1985">{{REFjournal | |||
|last=Wiswell | |||
|first=Thomas E. | |||
|init=TE | |||
|author-link=Thomas E. Wiswell | |||
|url=https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/75/5/901 | |||
|title=Decreased incidence of urinary tract infections in circumcised male infants | |||
|journal=Pediatrics | |||
|date=May 1985 | |||
|volume=75 | |||
|issue=5 | |||
|pages=901-3 | |||
|accessdate=2019-10-12 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
[[Aaron J. Fink]] (1986), with no evidence whatsoever, claims that circumcision protects against [[AIDS]] followed.<ref name="fink1986">{{REFjournal | |||
|last=Fink | |||
|first=Aaron J. | |||
|init=AJ | |||
|author-link=Aaron J. Fink | |||
|title=A possible explanation for heterosexual male infection with AIDS | |||
|journal=New England Journal of Medicine | |||
|date=1986-10-30 | |||
|volume=31 | |||
|issue=18 | |||
|page=1167 | |||
|url=https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM198610303151818 | |||
|DOI=10.1056/NEJM198610303151818 | |||
|accessdate=2019-11-20 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
Retrospectively, circumcision was always advertised as a cure for whatever disease was in the public spotlight at the time. [[Doctors Opposing Circumcision (D.O.C.)]] (2016) state: | |||
<blockquote> | |||
These claims date originally from before the advent of evidence-based medicine, when doctors relied on the opinions of other clinicians to inform their practice, rather than on scientifically collected evidence.<ref name="doc2016">{{REFweb | |||
|url=https://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/for-professionals/alleged-medical-benefits/ | |||
|title=Alleged Medical Benefits | |||
|publisher=[[Doctors Opposing Circumcision (D.O.C.)]] | |||
|website= | |||
|date=2016-05 | |||
|accessdate=2019-11-20 | |||
|format= | |||
|quote= | |||
}}</ref> | |||
</blockquote> | |||
''The following text is taken from the [[Circumpendium]].'' | The sheer mass of studies and publications that were released during those almost 180 years on this topic are the reason that even arguments that have been disproved multiple times, especially regarding infant and child circumcision, tenaciously persist up until today. | ||
--> | |||
An ever-recurring element of initiation rites found in many different cultures is the fixation upon the genitalia. | |||
It reflects the fascination that emerges from the ability to create new life. In most cultures, fertility is seen as the most precious good, and the body parts involved frequently find themselves in the focus of ritual acts. In many parts of the world, those rites take place when the boy reaches [[puberty]], and are meant to symbolize his transition from boy to man. The removal of the male [[foreskin]] is just one of many phenomena that developed in this context. They range from the removal of the frenulum in boys and men through partial or complete removal of the [[foreskin]] up to radical operations. Australian [[Aborigines]], as mentioned above, have their [[foreskin]]s removed. It is also usual that, a few weeks later, young men have their [[penis]]es sliced open in a [[subincision]], resulting in a partly or completely divided [[urethra]]. | |||
Another known, particularly massive, intervention is the stripping of the entire [[skin]] off the [[penis]]. In Indonesia, boys have metal or bamboo balls inserted into their [[penis]] shaft or [[Glans penis|glans]] at the beginning of [[puberty]], which form little "humps". | |||
For many cultures it is also common to perform similar rituals on girls. This can range from relatively small interventions such as piercing or cutting the clitoral hood, to its complete removal and up to radical removal of clitoral hood, [[clitoris]], inner and outer labia followed by sewing up the vagina. | |||
''The following text is taken from the [[Circumpendium]].'' | |||
--> | |||
=== Prophylactic claims are false === | === Prophylactic claims are false === | ||
| Line 1,021: | Line 1,112: | ||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
* Orgasm problems: In the wake of reduced sexual sensitivity, due to the loss of sensory tissue and gradual [[keratinization]] of the surface of the [[Glans penis|glans]], orgasm problems may develop with increasing age. In this case, the sexual arousal created by intercourse or [[masturbation]] is not enough to achieve orgasm. A preliminary stage of this late effect is the prolonged time [[circumcised]]] men need to reach an orgasm. This is often fielded as the "cut men have more endurance" argument for circumcision. | * Orgasm problems: In the wake of reduced sexual sensitivity, due to the loss of erogenous sensory tissue and gradual [[keratinization]] of the surface of the [[Glans penis|glans]], orgasm problems may develop with increasing age. In this case, the sexual arousal created by intercourse or [[masturbation]] is not enough to achieve orgasm. A preliminary stage of this late effect is the prolonged time [[circumcised]]] men need to reach an orgasm. This is often fielded as the "cut men have more endurance" argument for circumcision. | ||
* Vaginal dryness: Due to the loss of the natural [[gliding action]], which comes from the mobility of the [[foreskin]] and [[shaft skin]], a much increased friction between [[penis]] and [[vagina]] occurs during intercourse. This can make intercourse painful for both partners and lead to abrasions<ref>{{FrischM LindholmM GroenbaekM 2011}}</ref><ref>{{REFjournal | * Vaginal dryness: Due to the loss of the natural [[gliding action]], which comes from the mobility of the [[foreskin]] and [[shaft skin]], a much increased friction between [[penis]] and [[vagina]] occurs during intercourse. This can make intercourse painful for both partners and lead to abrasions<ref>{{FrischM LindholmM GroenbaekM 2011}}</ref><ref>{{REFjournal | ||
|last=Cortés-González | |last=Cortés-González | ||
| Line 1,038: | Line 1,129: | ||
|pubmedID=18807735 | |pubmedID=18807735 | ||
|accessdate= | |accessdate= | ||
}}</ref> The prolonged time it takes [[circumcised]] men to reach orgasm, as well as the often longer and more vigorous thrusting movements | }}</ref> The prolonged time it takes [[circumcised]] men to reach orgasm, as well as the often longer and more vigorous thrusting movements — compared to [[intact]] men — play a part in this.<ref name="ColdCJ TaylorJR 1999">{{ColdCJ TaylorJR 1999}}</ref><ref>{{REFjournal | ||
|last=Fink | |last=Fink | ||
|init=KS | |init=KS | ||
| Line 1,138: | Line 1,229: | ||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
}} | }} | ||
===Health effects=== | |||
The [[foreskin]] provides both [[Immunological and protective function of the foreskin| physical protection and protection from infection]], so [[foreskinned]] boys and men tend to have better health than [[circumcised]] boys and men.<ref name=fendereski2024" /> <ref name="bollinger2025-08-27" /> <ref name="vanhowe2006" /> | |||
=== Sexual effects === | === Sexual effects === | ||
| Line 1,225: | Line 1,318: | ||
=== Psychological effects === | === Psychological effects === | ||
[[Psychological_issues_of_male_circumcision#Circumcision_trauma_in_adults| Psychological late effects]] are also | [[Psychological_issues_of_male_circumcision#Circumcision_trauma_in_adults| Psychological late effects]] are also likely after a circumcision, especially if the operation was carried out in childhood.<ref name="garrett2024-01-09" /> On this occasion a variety of [[trauma]] may occur, which depend, among others, on age and circumstances of the circumcision. For example, whether the circumcision took place with or without sufficient anaesthesia, if the individual has been informed about the operation beforehand, if he was [[circumcised]] against his will or without his consent, and also, in the case of infant circumcision, if he was told about it during childhood or had to find it out coincidentally on his own. | ||
The psychological late effects of circumcision are not yet fully researched, and many studies took place on rather a small scale. This situation needs to be rectified, because the available studies, as well as the histories of negatively affected men, suggest that these late effects may have more impact than previously assumed. | The psychological late effects of circumcision are not yet fully researched, and many studies took place on rather a small scale. This situation needs to be rectified, because the available studies, as well as the histories of negatively affected men, suggest that these late effects may have more impact than previously assumed. | ||
| Line 1,307: | Line 1,400: | ||
|volume=38 | |volume=38 | ||
|pages=321-31 | |pages=321-31 | ||
|pubmedID=5322308 | |||
|DOI=10.1111/j.2044-8341.1965.tb01314.x | |||
|accessdate=2019-10-12 | |accessdate=2019-10-12 | ||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
| Line 1,321: | Line 1,416: | ||
|accessdate=2019-10-12 | |accessdate=2019-10-12 | ||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
* Fear of doctors, clinics and also closed rooms.<ref name="Levy1945"/> | * Fear of doctors, clinics, and also closed rooms.<ref name="Levy1945"/> | ||
* Relapse into the state of bed-wetting, even if the child was already dry before.<ref name="Levy1945"/> | * Relapse into the state of bed-wetting, even if the child was already dry before.<ref name="Levy1945"/> | ||
* [[Circumcised]] males who become fathers frequently manifest [[adamant father syndrome]]. | * [[Circumcised]] males who become fathers frequently manifest [[adamant father syndrome]]. | ||
| Line 1,629: | Line 1,724: | ||
|accessdate=2019-10-12 | |accessdate=2019-10-12 | ||
|note=ID 10.1007/978-0-585-39937-9_19 | |note=ID 10.1007/978-0-585-39937-9_19 | ||
}}</ref> Parental consent is required.<ref>See, e.g., Shephard and Shephard, ''The Complete Guide'', p. 125.</ref> A statement published by the [[American Academy of Pediatrics]] in 1999 claimed that "parents should determine what is in the best interest of the child... It is legitimate for parents to take into account cultural, religious, and ethnic traditions, in additions to the medical factors, when making a decision."<ref>Lannon and Bailey, "Circumcision Policy Statement," p. 691.</ref> however surrogate consent for non-therapeutic circumcision is now viewed as unethical. | }}</ref> Parental consent is required.<ref>See, e.g., Shephard and Shephard, ''The Complete Guide'', p. 125.</ref> A statement published by the [[American Academy of Pediatrics]] in 1999 claimed that "parents should determine what is in the best interest of the child... It is legitimate for parents to take into account cultural, religious, and ethnic traditions, in additions to the medical factors, when making a decision."<ref>Lannon and Bailey, "Circumcision Policy Statement," p. 691.</ref> however surrogate consent for non-therapeutic circumcision is now viewed as unethical.<ref name-"myers2020">{{REFjournal | ||
|last=Myers | |||
|first= | |||
|init=A | |||
|author-link=Alex Myers | |||
|last2=Earp | |||
|first2= | |||
|init2=BD | |||
|author2-link=Brian D. Earp | |||
|etal=no | |||
|title=What is the best age to circumcise? A medical and ethical analysis | |||
|trans-title= | |||
|language= | |||
|journal=Bioethics | |||
|location= | |||
|date=2020 | |||
|volume=34 | |||
|issue=7 | |||
|pages=645-63 | |||
|url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brian-Earp-2/publication/337720859_What_Is_the_Best_Age_to_Circumcise_A_Medical_and_Ethical_Analysis/links/5f815f61a6fdccfd7b555395/What-Is-the-Best-Age-to-Circumcise-A-Medical-and-Ethical-Analysis.pdf | |||
|archived= | |||
|quote=Based on a careful consideration of the relevant evidence, arguments and counterarguments, we conclude that medically unnecessary penile circumcision-like other medically unnecessary genital procedures, such as 'cosmetic' labiaplasty-should not be performed on individuals who are too young (or otherwise unable) to provide meaningful consent to the procedure. | |||
|pubmedID=32068898 | |||
|pubmedCID= | |||
|DOI= | |||
|doi=10.1111/bioe.12714 | |||
|format=PDF | |||
|accessdate=2026-02-03 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
In the [[United Kingdom]], where non-therapeutic circumcision has now become far less prevalent than in the [[United States]], the written consent of both parents is required, if a physician is to perform a non-therapeutic circumcision of a child.<ref>{{REFjournal | In the [[United Kingdom]], where non-therapeutic circumcision has now become far less prevalent than in the [[United States]], the written consent of both parents is required, if a physician is to perform a non-therapeutic circumcision of a child.<ref>{{REFjournal | ||
| Line 1,645: | Line 1,768: | ||
In recent years, legal writers in several English-speaking countries have been questioning the practice of acceding to parental wishes.<ref>See, e.g., [[Margaret A. Somerville|Somerville]], "Therapeutic and Non-Therapeutic Medical Procedures"; Poulter, ''English Criminal Law''; [[Abbie Chessler|Chessler]], "Justifying the Unjustifiable"; Smith, "Male Circumcision."</ref> For example, critics have pointed out that, in the [[United States]], more than 1.3% of male neonatal deaths are attributable to the complications of non-therapeutic circumcision surgery.<ref name="Bollinger 2010"/> | In recent years, legal writers in several English-speaking countries have been questioning the practice of acceding to parental wishes.<ref>See, e.g., [[Margaret A. Somerville|Somerville]], "Therapeutic and Non-Therapeutic Medical Procedures"; Poulter, ''English Criminal Law''; [[Abbie Chessler|Chessler]], "Justifying the Unjustifiable"; Smith, "Male Circumcision."</ref> For example, critics have pointed out that, in the [[United States]], more than 1.3% of male neonatal deaths are attributable to the complications of non-therapeutic circumcision surgery.<ref name="Bollinger 2010"/> | ||
==Recommendations of medical authorities== | ==Recommendations of medical authorities== | ||
* [[George Hill| Hill]] (2007) said: | * [[George Hill| Hill]] (2007) said: | ||
| Line 1,925: | Line 2,049: | ||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
== Tipping point == | == Tipping point == | ||
[[Intact America]] (2024) points out the need for reform in the American media false portrayal of infant circumcision as a benign procedure.<ref>{{REFweb | [[Intact America]] (2024) points out the need for reform in the American media false portrayal of infant circumcision as a benign procedure.<ref>{{REFweb | ||
|url=https://intactamerica.org/truth-about-circumcision-media/ | |url=https://intactamerica.org/truth-about-circumcision-media/ | ||
| Line 1,981: | Line 2,103: | ||
}}</ref> | }}</ref> | ||
Yang et al. (2025) report a "significant" decline in the incidence of circumcision over a ten-year period and that only a minority of American boys are being [[circumcised]] in the newborn period. <ref name="yang2025">{{ | Yang et al. (2025) report a "significant" decline in the incidence of circumcision over a ten-year period and that only a minority of American boys are being [[circumcised]] in the newborn period since 2022. The authors reported a decline of 1/2 of one percent per year. <ref name="yang2025" /> Although the incidence of [[circumcision of the newborn]] has been gradually declining for decades, this is the first study to report an overall incidence of less than fifty percent. Based on this new information, we can now report that [[intactness]] is now the NORM among the newborn boys of America. The decline in circumcision popularity is expected to continue. | ||
|last= | |||
[[Intact America]] is tracking the opposition to [[circumcision]] in the [[United States]]. It reports [https://www.instagram.com/p/DKVZQGTRl77/ steadily increasing opposition] to [[child circumcision]]. | |||
We note that [[Australia]] reported a significant improvement in child health when the incidence of circumcision declined in that nation.<ref>{{REFweb | |||
|url=https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/australias-children-in-brief/summary | |||
|title=Australia’s children: in brief | |||
|last=Anonymous | |||
|first= | |first= | ||
|init= | |init= | ||
|author-link= | |author-link= | ||
| | |publisher=Australian Institute of Health and Welfare | ||
| | |pubmedID= | ||
ISBN=978-1-76054-659-5 | |||
| | |DOI=10.25816/5e152818d082c | ||
| | |date=2019-12-17 | ||
| | |accessdate=2025-09-17 | ||
| | }}</ref> | ||
| | |||
| | ==Video== | ||
| | ===This should be a crime.=== | ||
| | <youtube>v=ob4OADNIidc</youtube> | ||
| | {{SEEALSO}} | ||
| | * [[Foreskin comment]] | ||
| | * [[Fusions and adhesions]] | ||
| | * [[Neurotomy]] | ||
| | {{LINKS}} | ||
| | * {{REFweb | ||
| | |url=https://www.prweb.com/releases/new-survey-parents-lack-basic-understanding-about-circumcision-dangers-skin-in-the-game-campaign-launches-to-raise-awareness-about-this-unnecessary-medical-practice-301987509.html | ||
| | |title=New Survey: Parents Lack Basic Understanding About Circumcision Dangers; 'Skin in the Game' Campaign Launches to Raise Awareness About This Unnecessary Medical Practice | ||
| | |last=Anonymous | ||
| | |first= | ||
| | |init= | ||
| | |author-link= | ||
| | |publisher=Intact America | ||
| | |date=2023-11-14 | ||
| | |accessdate=2025-12-07 | ||
| | }} | ||
* {{REFweb | |||
| | |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/NewBorn/comments/u9c5og/questions_for_baby_boi_do_you_circumcised_your/ | ||
| | |title=Questions for baby boi do you circumcised your baby or leave it? | ||
| | |last=Anonymous | ||
|publisher=REDDIT | |||
|date=2021 | |||
|url=https:// | |accessdate=2025-11-22 | ||
| | }} | ||
* {{REFweb | |||
| | |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/self/comments/ljwpfe/why_i_hate_being_circumcised/ | ||
| | |title=Why I hate being circumcised | ||
| | |last=Anonymous | ||
|accessdate=2025- | |first= | ||
}} | |init= | ||
|author-link= | |||
|publisher=REDDIT | |||
|url=https://www. | |date=2020 | ||
|title= | |accessdate=2025-11-01 | ||
}} | |||
* {{REFweb | |||
|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/foreskin_restoration/comments/1pjzoqz/circumcision_will_end_this_century/ | |||
|title=Circumcision will end this century | |||
|last=Anonymous | |||
|publisher=REDDIT | |||
|date=2025-12-11 | |||
|accessdate=2025-12-11 | |||
}} | |||
* {{REFweb | |||
|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/intactinfo/comments/1qe1kkl/the_neurological_cost_of_circumcision_a_breakdown/ | |||
|title=The Neurological Cost of Circumcision, A Breakdown of What's Removed | |||
|last=Anonymous | |last=Anonymous | ||
|first= | |first= | ||
|init= | |init= | ||
|author-link= | |author-link= | ||
|publisher= | |publisher=REDDIT | ||
| | |date=2026-01-15 | ||
|accessdate=2026-01-16 | |||
| | }} | ||
|date= | * {{REFweb | ||
|accessdate= | |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/uncircumcised_talk/comments/1rawx5e/my_wife_and_i_agree_to_leave_our_son_intact/ | ||
}} | |title=My wife and I agree - to leave our son intact | ||
|last=Anonymous | |||
|publisher=REDDIT | |||
|date=2026-02-21 | |||
|accessdate=2026-02-21 | |||
}} | |||
{{REF}} | |||
| Line 2,050: | Line 2,195: | ||
[[Category:Education]] | [[Category:Education]] | ||
[[Category:Foreskin anatomy]] | [[Category:Foreskin anatomy]] | ||
[[Category:Parental information]] | |||
[[Category:Sociology]] | |||