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What does circumcision mean to you? You may not have any experience of it yourself, particularly if you’re a woman, but then again, if you’re a mother, you may have a son who was circumcised. You may have an opinion on the subject
or you may not, but if you are squeamish, you probably shouldn’t read any further.

Let’s start with some definitions. Please note that this article is about male circumcision – we’ll leave the more varied and more controversial female circumcision for another time. Male circumcision is “the amputation of the
prepuce (aka foreskin) from the rest of the penis, resulting in permanent alteration of the anatomy, histology and function of the penis…” (Stehr M, et al in “Circumcision – criticism of the routine”).

So to speak plainly, the foreskin is cut off. It is a specialized, sensitive functional organ of touch that contains a rich concentration of blood vessels and nerve endings. The foreskin has protective, sensory and sexual functions. So
why would anyone want to amputate it?

Did you know that circumcision is disfiguring? It can rob a male of as much as 80% of his penile skin and make the penis as much as 25% shorter. Circumcision cuts off more than 3 feet of veins, arteries and capillaries, 240 feet of nerves and more than 20,000 nerve endings (HC Bazett et al, “Depth, Distribution and Probable Identification in the Prepuce of Sensory End-Organs Concerned in Sensations of Temperature and Touch”, in Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry 27 (1932): 489-517).

Circumcision changes the appearance of the penis drastically. It could be called penile reduction surgery. The procedure often involves tearing the foreskin from the glans (the rounded head of the penis). Pieces of the glans may be torn off too, leaving it scarred. Pieces of foreskin may stick to the raw glans, forming tags of displaced skin. (GT Klauber and J Boyle, “Preputial Skin-Bridging: Complication of Circumcision,” Urology 3 (1974): 722-723).

In circumcised males, the surface of the glans develops a thick dry layer of toughened skin and there is a scar on the shaft (body) of the penis.

Depending on the amount of skin that is cut off and how the scar forms, the circumcised penis may be permanently twisted (JP Gearhart, “Complications of Pediatric Circumcision”, in Urologic Complications, Medical and Surgical, Adult and Pediatric, ed. FF Marshall [Chicago: Year Book Medical Publishers, 1986], 386-396).

The contraction of the scar tissue may pull the shaft into the abdomen, in effect shortening the penis.” (RD Talarico and JE Jasaitis, “Concealed Penis: A Complication of Neonatal Circumcision,” Journal of Urology 75 (1995): 90-91.

I did say at the beginning this wasn’t going to be pretty. Circumcision is not a pleasant procedure, as any circumcised baby could tell you if only they could talk. Their mothers often know this too, even if many of them prefer not to
think about it.

Just so you know, human foreskins have been used as research material in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. They may still be in demand (FA Hodges, in “Short History of the Institutionalization of Involuntary Sexual Mutilation
in the United States”, in GC Denniston and MF Milos, eds., Sexual Mutilations: A Human Tragedy). Do you think the foreskin was included in the male anatomy just so that it could be cut off and used for research or just cut off and discarded?

Can you see where I’m going with this? The penis and the foreskin are wholesome and healthy in their natural state and they develop naturally throughout childhood. There is no reason for anyone to manipulate a child’s penis, not
parents, physicians, or other caregivers.

But male circumcision is routine in many cultures, including ours. Children are circumcised for religious, social, cultural and, very rarely, medical reasons. Many parents willingly hand over their precious sons over to strangers who,
behind closed doors, strap the baby down and cut off their foreskins? And, horror of horrors, this is sometimes done without any anesthesia! Not many adults would consent to having any kind of genital surgery (for that’s what male
circumcision is) without anesthesia. Would you?

No prizes for guessing how I feel about circumcision. I believe that cutting off a child’s foreskin is a violent act that violates his human rights. No one has the right to cut off a part of another person’s genitals without his consent,
except in situations of clear and immediate medical necessity. I think it is unethical that parental choice is prioritized over the best interests of the child. Society should impose limits on parental choices in the interest of human
rights and medical ethics.

I know that all kinds of pseudo-health reasons have been given for circumcising boys. For example, many advocates of circumcision claim that circumcision makes the penis cleaner and easier to take care off. Actually, that’s not true. The
natural penis does not need special care. You wouldn’t lift your eyelids to wash your eyeballs now, would you? The circumcised penis, without the protective foreskin, is exposed to dirt and is more vulnerable to bacteria. Should one cut
off a body part or practise basic hygiene? I know which one I’d choose.

Recently, circumcision has been touted as a magical tool for preventing HIV infection in African men based on a few studies. There is some debate about the validity of the findings from these studies. Cutting off a man’s foreskin does
not make him immune to HIV if he is exposed to the virus. The spread of HIV is mainly caused by behaviour and to pretend otherwise is irresponsible.

In the past, circumcision has been promoted as a cure-all for many diseases. It was promoted as a cure for masturbation, epilepsy, insanity, tuberculosis and other diseases. HIV just happens to be the latest in the long line of conditions for which circumcision is the solution.

But circumcision is not a harmless procedure. All operations carry risks and circumcision is no exception. Some possible complications are gangrene, total or partial amputation and even death. I recall watching with my husband a
documentary about the Canadian child Bruce Reimer whose penis was destroyed in a botched circumcision and his tragic life following a sex change recommended by his doctor. Google Bruce Reimer if you want to know what happened to him. Medical errors like this may be rare, but do the benefits of circumcision really outweigh the risks of complications?

Long before I was married, I had already begun to question the justifications for circumcision – both male and female. My husband and I decided not to have our son circumcised and it is a decision I have never regretted. I could not
bring myself to subject my precious child to an unnecessary, painful and risky procedure involving amputation of a healthy body part.

And I don’t worry that he will be made fun of if he is different from other boys. I will work hard to help him develop high self-esteem so that conformity will not be his uppermost goal. Besides, he is already different in some ways.
And anyway, boys don’t go around examining each other’s genitals around here, not unless they are interested in something else entirely, not circumcision.

Do I worry that my son will blame me for not having had him circumcised? No, because he could still have it done later on when he’s old enough to give informed consent, if he wanted. I could not, however, restore his foreskin, if I
had it cut off – the success of so-called “foreskin restorations” is debatable. An African woman I know once told me that her then-29-year-old son had asked her why she had him circumcised as a child, but she would not discuss the issue with him. I can only guess why.

What do you think? Have you bucked the Nigerian trend and chosen to leave your son’s genitals intact, and if so, why? Would you consent to genital cutting if you hadn’t already been circumcised as a child? Please share your views and
stories about male circumcision. Feel free to disagree with me, but please, no personal attacks.

By chichi layor
layor9@yahoo.com
http://twitter.com/thecardcoach