Depending on where you live, circumcising new male infants may or may not be the norm-- and if you live in the United States, it probably is. In many English-speaking countries, non-religious based circumcision has been a growing practice for decades. In the early 1980's, more than 90% of American males were circumcised at birth, about 90% of Australian males, and almost 50% of Canadian males.
But non-religious circumcision is getting another look-- even in countries where it was once the accepted norm. In the U.S., for instance, non-religious circumcision has dropped to 57%, in Australia it's dropped to 12.6%, and in Canada, the percentage of males circumcised at birth is now less than 10.
A free internet dating site like Datepad is the perfect place for a discussion about circumcision, because romantic relationships are, of course, deeply influenced by sex. A lot of misperceptions about circumcised vs. uncircumcised penises abound; so whether you're planning to have children or just planning to have a sexual relationship, it's important to understand both sides of the issue.
Arguments for Circumcision
Unless you're of Jewish or Muslim faith, you owe the prevalence of circumcision to a campaign by doctors in the 1800's. They believed that circumcision put a stop to masturbation (something we all know is quite untrue), and that so doing, they would prevent a whole host of diseases and disorders that they believed at the time to be caused by masturbation (something else that is, of course, completely untrue)
Still, though circumcision became more prevalent because of a misperception, its supporters insist that it still has some health benefits. They claim that these include:
Keeping cleaner. Supporters of non-religious circumcision cite that circumcised penises are easier to keep clean, and therefore healthier.
Less risk of infection. Studies show that men with circumcised penises have a slightly lower risk of developing a urinary tract infection; however, the rates in both types of men are relatively low.
Less risk of penis cancer. Penile cancer is incredibly rare, affecting about 1 out of 100,000 men, generally in old age. But the rates of occurrence in uncircumcised men are slightly higher than in circumcised men; though in reality there's not much of a gap between these rates.
Less risk of STDs. Though, again, the difference in rates of occurrence between circumcised and uncircumcised men isn't very great, studies have shown that circumcised men have a slightly lower occurrence of STDs. A man's lifestyle and choices, however, have a much greater effect on his risk of contracting an STD.
Arguments Against Circumcision
Those who support circumcision have worked hard to put together arguments supporting the practice. But those against the practice have also put together a strong case; which is probably why the numbers of circumcised babies has been dropping so steadily. Anti-circumcision's most popular arguments are:
Your body, your choice. Those who don't support circumcision believe that whether or not to be circumcised should be a man's choice, not a baby's obligation. When it's not your body, it's not really your decision. Later on, he can always go under the knife if he chooses.
It's traumatic. Getting this painful surgery at such a young age has got to be traumatic to young infants; and considering that the surgery is strictly cosmetic rather than functional, it seems particularly strange to put a new baby though so much pain and suffering.
It's perfectly clean. Those on the side of anti circumcision believe that depending on a surgery to keep clean is actually counter productive; uncircumcised penises are perfectly easy to keep clean as long as the men and boys who have them develop good habits.
There's no physical support. Despite the small differences in STD or urinary tract infection that circumcision supporters cite as part of their argument, the medical community has yet to discover a real physical reason for circumcision. In fact, circumcision is often referred to as "a solution in search of a problem."
When you start talking about your privates, the talk gets personal. And whether you're a mother who's made a decision about your male child's anatomy or a man who is stuck with your own mother's long-ago choice, it's important to know why those choices are made. And to learn to accept your body just as it is-- no matter how it got that way.
