Under what circumstances (no pun intended) is circumcision acceptable?

[Sava]

I dunno Boris, I just think it would be dirty. I mean, who knows what kind of crap lives inside the folds of foreskin? Circumsizing males at birth... nothing wrong with it; should be done, but I wouldn't make it mandatory.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Sava
I dunno Boris, I just think it would be dirty. I mean, who knows what kind of crap lives inside the folds of foreskin? Circumsizing males at birth... nothing wrong with it; should be done, but I wouldn't make it mandatory.

That's a myth. It isn't difficult to keep an uncircumcized penis clean. I've never had anyone who is uncut complain to me about it.

It shouldn't be done just for its own sake. Unless there's a religious or health reason, I just think nature should be left well enough alone.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Sava
Uncut shlongos are weird... 'Nuff said...

Hmm. Well uncut is natural, cut is not, so naturally uncut are weird.

The only reason cut schlongs don't seem weird is because it's so popular in your country and other countries with whacky religious rituals that were intended to discourage masturbation, despite what they tell you.

And if you move to Canada, or most anywhere in Europe, you'll realize it's the cut schlongos that are weird. Not to mention, when it's cut it restricts what can be done with it.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
I would leave it as a personal preference for adults, unless medical conditions dictate otherwise.

Male circ is a more painful and difficult procedure for adults, with a longer recovery than for infants. So the idea that leaving it adulthood is leaving the child with "choice" is not fully correct. Now if you belong to a cultural community where the likelhihood of an adult choosing it is not high, i can see the argument for putting it off to adulthood. If you live in a cultural community, like my own(ie the Jewish community), where it is a virtually universal preference, postponing it till adulthood is merely adding needless future pain to your son.

[Flubber]

I am circumcized and do not lament my lost skin in the least. But if my upcoming child happens to be a boy, I have no intention of having the procedure performed on him absent some medical necessity. I don't see that there is anything seriously wrong with having it done (religious or cultural reasons?) but my choice will be no.

[Asher]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
Male circ is a more painful and difficult procedure for adults, with a longer recovery than for infants. So the idea that leaving it adulthood is leaving the child with "choice" is not fully correct.

On the other hand, what if your child grows up and realizes he'd rather like to keep all those nerve endings and reduce the friction, you've made the choice for him based on tradition and ritual for no real apparent reason.

It's far easier to get circumcised later in life than it is to get the foreskin restored.

Now if you belong to a cultural community where the likelhihood of an adult choosing it is not high, i can see the argument for putting it off to adulthood. If you live in a cultural community, like my own(ie the Jewish community), where it is a virtually universal preference, postponing it till adulthood is merely adding needless future pain to your son.

Of course, if your religion specifies it must be done, it only makes sense to do it when the person will heal fastest (infant).

[Sava]

bah, I'm an atheist and I'd still have my boy(s) circumsized at birth.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Sava
bah, I'm an atheist and I'd still have my boy(s) circumsized at birth.

Atta boy Sava, I knew you'd give the ultimate sacrifice to the status quo.

[Sava]

does anybody hear that? It sounds like a turd flapping in the wind?

[Asher]

In summary: Unless there are medical or religious reasons, leave the boy intact.

Under all circumstances, leave the girl intact.

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Sava
bah, I'm an atheist and I'd still have my boy(s) circumsized at birth.

Why? Keep in mind that, considering the current trends, by the time they are of an age when they will be having their schlongs looked at, they'll be the "weird" ones. Won't you just be contributing to their being potentially mocked for being different?

There's no reason for you to do it. Why rob them of the choice of being cut or not? I don't think it's your right to make such a decision for them.

[SlowwHand]

Sava, gawd man.

[Sava]

I'm their dad, they wouldn't be alive if not for me. So I don't really buy your whole, "its not my right to decide" argument. Circumcision was good enough for me... it's my opinion that it's better, so say bye-bye to baby's extra foreskin.

As with all things in life, there is a South Park quote to explain this:

"We're not cutting your brothers wee-wee off Kyle, we just snip it to make it look bigger."

[Asher]

http://www.cirp.org/news/theprovince08-29-02/

`Totally unexpected' death of baby probed
Five-week-old infant died after he was circumcised at Penticton hospital
Jason Proctor
The Province

Thursday, August 29, 2002.

The Kamloops coroner is investigating the case of an infant who died last week from complications following his circumcision at Penticton Regional Hospital.

The five-week-old child was released after the procedure last Tuesday morning, but his parents went back to talk to the doctor later that day with concerns about bleeding. They returned home, but the situation worsened overnight, forcing them to rush the child back to hospital early Wednesday.

The infant was flown by air ambulance to Vancouver, where he died last Thursday in B.C. Children's Hospital.

"It certainly seems to be unusual," coroner Ian McKichan said yesterday. "It's definitely something that warrants an investigation, because it's a totally unexpected sort of death."

Deaths following circumcision are almost unheard of, but like any operation, bleeding and infection are the greatest dangers.

The case raises questions about an increasingly rare operation which stirs controversy in some circles.

"The bottom line is that circumcision is becoming a less-common procedure," said Dr. Morris Van Andel, registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. "It's no longer an insured service -- it's considered an option. That makes it all the more distressing when you hear about something like this."

According to Penticton hospital officials, the operation to remove the foreskin from the child's penis was conducted by a physician with 16 years' practice in British Columbia.

The coroner's office is now awaiting the results of an autopsy being performed in Vancouver. McKichan said the investigation could take up to three months.

The college will likely also investigate the case after the coroner's inquiry is finished, to determine whether the death is the result of medical complications or malpractice.

Decades ago, nearly all Canadian boys were circumcised shortly after birth, but the Canadian Paediatric Society no longer recommends the procedure. It is now done mainly on religious grounds -- primarily by Jews and Muslims.

Because of the drop in popularity and increasing medical cost-cutting, children are usually circumcised at a doctor's office or as hospital out-patients.

Doctors generally observe a child for about an hour, and then instruct parents to watch for trouble.

"Instead of being observed by professional staff, the parents are left on their own," said Dr. Shelley Ross, a Burnaby family doctor. "If a person wants to get it done, should they be pushed into not having professional observation because of the cost?"

Doctors say the best time to perform a circumcision is in the first few weeks after birth.

The operation should take 10 to 15 minutes under a local anesthetic, performed with a clamp designed to seal the blood-vessels.

"The amount of blood you should see with this type of procedure, should be no more than a [bit] on the diaper," said Ross.

"You need experienced hands. You need to to know what you're doing."

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Asher

http://www.cirp.org/news/theprovince08-29-02/

Your article state it should be done while still in the hospital for obsevation. Among Jews it is done on the eight day, not in the hospital, yet IIUC the rate of complications is the same or lower.