Circumcision: Pros and Cons

Around 60%-75% of newborn baby boys in America are circumcised in a surgical procedure soon after birth. Presently, many states are considering defunding the procedure as a way to cut health care costs.

To scalpel or not to scalpel? Circumcised versus uncircumcised. Why circumcise? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, "there is no absolute medical indication for routine circumcision of the newborn."

The procedure is considered by many to be purely cultural. In San Francisco the city government sought to introduce legislation which would have banned circumcision on men under 18. The law failed before it could be voted on because it was judged to impinge on the constitutional right to free exercise of religion.

In an editorial published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Aaron Tobian and Dr. Ronald Gray argue for the medical benefits of circumcising boys in infanthood, citing several observational studies and recent clinical trials that show it reduces the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, HPV and herpes by about a third in both men and their female sexual partners.

In opposition to these facts, circumcision increases the chance of meatitis-- an inflammation of the opening of the penis. Circumcisions often cause other infections and complications in infants. Cutting right to the heart of the matter, sometimes over zealous doctors snip a bit too much, and cause permanent damage.

Anyway you slice it, circumcision is a controversial issue. It strikes me as interesting that in the developing Third World (where as the map above shows male circumcision rates are the highest) there is a widespread, although decreasing, custom of female circumcision practiced, which has been condemned by the industrialized Western World as genital mutilation. It's interesting that in different parts of the world, surgery on infant genitalia is practiced for cultural and religious reasons. Is there a correlation? It's something to think about. What's your opinion? Is circumcision a superstition best left forgotten? A cultural institution to be honored? Or just wise medical advice?

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