The controversy over male circumcision: facts and falsehoods

yvonnethornton — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0000

For parents of baby boys, the question of whether to circumcise is likely to come up. You might make the decision to circumcise or not, depending on your religious, family, or cultural traditions. Or your decision might involve considerations about your newborn’s health. Hygiene is easier and urinary infections are less prevalent among boys and men who have been circumcised. Circumcised men are less prone to cancer of the penis. And there is some evidence that circumcised men are at slightly less risk of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.

Still, you may not wish to have a surgical procedure that isn’t absolutely necessary performed on your baby.

Whatever you decide, that decision should be based on the facts and not the false controversies that have been swirling around the Internet.

Contrary to some inflammatory claims that have appeared on popular websites, there is no similarity whatsoever between male circumcision and the disfiguring procedure done on girls in some Third World countries that’s referred to as female circumcision. Male circumcision is a generally safe, simple procedure that removes only the foreskin of the penis. Female circumcision, by contrast, removes the entire clitoris and sometimes parts of the labia.

Female circumcision is a brutal, abusive act that has a negative lifelong effect on sexual function and pleasure in adulthood. Male circumcision has no effect on sexuality.

So don’t be swayed by false claims, even those made by experts. And, if you’re undecided, discuss the pros and cons of circumcision with your doctor.

- Yvonne S. Thornton, MD, MPH

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The controversy over male circumcision: facts and falsehoods