Should I circumcize my son?

[Asher]

Regarding penile cancer:

http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/cancer/

It is thus categorically not true that circumcision eliminates the risk of penile cancer, although that assertion has been made nonchalantly in a number of papers by Schoen, Wiswell, and Weiss. In fact, the data indicate that only other factors -- among them cigarette smoking,18,27 genital warts, and 30 or more sexual partners -- contribute to the risk of penile carcinoma.27
...
There are many documented cases of penile cancer in circumcised men. To reduce the risk of penile cancer, men are best advised simply to use reasonable hygiene, practice responsible sexual behavior, and to avoid handling tobacco.

The history of the penile cancer myth was published by Fleiss and Hodges in the British Medical Journal30.
...
It is now clear that the major risk factors for both penile cancer and cervical cancer are the use of tobacco,27,33 which spreads carcinogens throughout the body via the bloodstream, and the presence of the human papillomavirus,35 which is communicated through sexual activity.

Abraham Wolbarst's promotional claims that circumcision prevented penile cancer were false and mislead the medical community for decades.30 Circumcision does not prevent penile cancer in men and it does not prevent cervical cancer in the female partner.

Then there's the real world facts that show otherwise as well:

http://www.circumstitions.com/Cancer.html

Penile cancer is one of the rarest cancers - rarer even than breast cancer in men - and figures for it are hard to come by. Circumcised men get penile cancer at about the same tiny rate as intact men. Studies that seemed to show a correlation had not been corrected for age; penile cancer is a disease of old men, and the old men with cancer in the studies had simply been born at a time when circumcision was less customary than when the younger men without cancer were born. When men of the same ages were compared, the correlation vanished.

[DanS]

God, that's a lawyerly written piece. As brought up in Dino's pro-circumcision source, incidence of the human papillomavirus was higher in uncircumcized men.

[Asher]

Regarding STDs:

http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/STD/

In a self-published pamphlet, Circumcision: A Parent's Decision for Life, the late circumcisionist Aaron J. Fink made the suggestion that the dried-out, cornified circumcised glans and mucosa would be "tougher," and somehow therefore less prone to infection, than those of intact men. This claim was even published in The New England Journal of Medicine, but, in fact, there is no evidence to support Fink's theory.5,10,13
...
It is documented that circumcised adult males exhibit a greater tendency to engage in risky sexual behavior. Hooykaas and colleagues reported that circumcised men in the Netherlands engage in more risky sexual behavior and have markedly higher rates of STDs.3 Laumann and colleagues reported more risky sexual behavior amongst circumcised men in the United States and have higher rates of STDs.9 Michael et al. reported more variability in sexual behavior, less condom usage, and more STD amonst the predominantly circumcised population of the United States as compared with the predominantly non-circumcised intact males of the United Kingdom.12
...
Fleiss et al. have described the many natural immunological protective mechanisms provided by the prepuce against infection.10 The prepuce has many immunological protections against disease.10 These mechanisms may explain why surgically-altered, circumcised men seem to have a greater incidence of many different STDs. Dried-out mucous membranes are more prone to infection than naturally moist ones (the reason people tend to get more colds in the wintertime!).
...
Laumann et al. reviewed data from the National Health and Social Life Survey.8 They found no evidence of a prophylactic role for circumcision. In fact, there was a slight tendency in the opposite direction.9 The absence of the foreskin was significantly associated with bacterial STDs among men who have had many sexual partners in their lifetimes. A rate of 25.4/1000 for chlamydia was found in circumcised men compared with a rate of zero in intact men; herpes was 14.9/1000 in circumcised males compared with 8.1/1000 in intact males.9
...
Tanne reported on the epidemic of STD, including herpes, human papillomavirus infection, hepatitis B, and HIV infection in the United States.11 The incidence of STD in the United States is amongst the highest in the industrialized world. This should not be surprising, considering the high incidence of circumcision in the US: According to Laumann et al., data from the National Health and Social Life Survey indicate that, in 1992, of 1511 men surveyed who were between 18 and 59 years of age, 77 percent of U.S. born men were circumcised.9 This high percentage is unique among the industrialized nations.8
...
Recent studies have demonstrated that circumcised men are more at risk of contracting urethritis,2 gonorrhea,8 syphilis,9 genital warts4,8 and chlamydia.9 Cook discovered that, when genital warts occur in intact males, they tend to occur near the distal (tip) end of the penis4--the region where the foreskin's protection would be least effective.

Anyway, I think I've made my point.
The idea that circumcision helps prevent cancer and STDs is an old wive's tale, like masturbation causing you to go blind.

[DanS]

I don't think you could call it an old wives tale, even if untrue. Presumably, the pro circumcision folks relied on well established science.

[Asher]

Originally posted by DanS
God, that's a lawyerly written piece. As brought up in Dino's pro-circumcision source, incidence of the human papillomavirus was higher in uncircumcized men.

Hmm: http://www.cirp.org/library/general/storms/

The statement "Virtually all sexually transmitted diseases occur more frequently among uncircumcised men" may no longer be true. Recent studies have demonstrated that circumcised men are at increased risk of contracting gonorrhea, syphilis and genital warts.[5,6] Men are at equal risk for developing human papillomavirus lesions and herpesvirus infections regardless of circumcision status.[3,7] At least four studies have shown human immunodeficiency virus infection to occur more commonly in circumcised men.[8]

It doesn't come as much surprise to me that once you start chopping up the body differently than how evolution made it, that we see some detrimental effects.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Asher

You see what circumcision does to you? It goes straight to your head!

Straight off your head really... or atleast straight from around your head.

[Apocalypse]

Originally posted by Asher
Anyway, I think I've made my point.
The idea that circumcision helps prevent cancer and STDs is an old wive's tale, like masturbation causing you to go blind.

Of course. Masturbation only causes you arm to grow longer and your palms to grow hair

[chequita guevara]

There's only one good reason to get snipped, in some men, the foreskin isn't big enough, and an erection is extremely painful. You aren't going to know if this is the case for quite some time. Don't do it. It's a relic of human irrationalism.

I'm snipped for the record, and I don't mind it abit. Personally, I'm glad orgasm isn't more intense, I just wish it lasted more that a few seconds.

[Dan Severn]

Why oh why did I read this?!

I'm actually in pain now.

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by tandeetaylor


Reasons?

Hygiene mainly. Once you have it cut, it requires no further work or cleaning for their whole lifetime

We got strong recommendations to get it done. This no circ stuff is all very PC but circ is protective for venereal disease including aids.

Medical opinion is swinging back in favour of it. No dirty little foreskins in our house thank you.

Woah, I hope you're not serious about that. Yes, I see the smiley, but are you just being funny, or do you mean it in some ways?

The surgeon used a different method for the 4th so it looks a bit different but we've had 2 doctors check it and they say its okay. We'd just like to have been trimmed a bit more.

I think considering that parents' decisions have such an effect on their children, we should take them rather seriously.

No, you are the parent, their opinion is insignificant

[Asher]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
Hygiene mainly. One you have it cut, it requires no further work or cleaning

So you don't shower?
You have very strange ideas about the cleaning rituals required. Do you think uncut men have to spend hours a day cleaning it or something?

By this logic we should amputate all toes, they're not immediately useful and would require less cleaning.

We got strong recommendations to get it done. This no circ stuff is all very PC but circ is protective for venereal disease including aids.

I guess you missed the posts which debunked the STD myth. Besides, shouldn't your kids be wearing a helmet when playing in that area?

[KrazyHorse]

circ is protective for venereal disease including aids

No it isn't. Read Asher's post(s). Beneficial effects of circumcision have been overstated in the past. There seems to be basically no up side to this...

[KrazyHorse]

I personally just pull the skin back quickly in the shower...

[Alexander's Horse]

Look you dirty little uncircumcised people - when you get VD or aids or penile cancer or you're too old to clean yourself and the nurse won't help you and your **** rots off, don't come crying to me.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Frogger
I personally just pull the skin back quickly in the shower...

How do you ever manage?! Do you still have enough energy at the end of the day to go find a random prostitute and have sex without a condom and acquire 18 STDs because you're not circumcised?

Jeez, uncut men are barbarians.