Mothers Against

mothersagainstcirc.org


The Case Against Circumcision

My Baby Will be Circumcised
You're Having a Baby!
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
Parents Who've Changed their Minds (with sons Cut & Uncut)
Many Things Can Go Wrong
Including Recent Death
Taking Baby Home Intact

Circumcision Methods
Circumcision is Painful
Observe One Beforehand
Medical Arguments Eliminated
UTIs Rarely Caused by Foreskin
STDs & Sexual Dysfunction
HIV

RARELY NEEDED LATER
Besides, Which is Worse--
  Infant or Adult Circ?

CLEANING IS EASY!
Inspections Not Required
Smegma Beneficial Not Bad
Adhesions: A Circ Problem
Tightness, Tearing & Ballooning
Intact Care Agreement
Is it ETHICAL?

What's Lost from Circ?
The Foreskin Has Value
Sex Better Cut or Uncut?
Sexual Preference for a Circ Penis

85% of World's Men Intact
History of Circumcision
  (An attempt to end masturbation)
"20/20" Segment Corrected
Religious Circumcision
Hypospadias, a Contra-Indication

Men's Health Magazine:
Separated at Birth:
  Did Circ Ruin Your Sex Life?

Circumcision Consent Form This is an absolute must. Written by pediatrician Dr. Robert Van Howe, it advises parents of everything they should know if they are considering the procedure for their son.

AOL Circ Discussions
Mothers of Intact Sons

Contribute	LINKS	Chat
GuestBook	Glossary	Books
How to Join	Founder	Videos

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When you want to buy something from Amazon.com, link to it from here. They will donate a portion of your purchase to MAC.

For books on this issue come to our ONLINE BOOKSTORE.

Interested in Becoming a Member? There are no dues. You can be active or passive. Please pass out this web page address to expectant parents, childbirth educators, medical professionals and to anyone else you know who might be interested.

MUSIC Musicians United to Stop Infant Circumcision

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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead

"All truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed.
Then it is violently opposed.
Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schoepenhauer

"Tradition will accustom people to any atrocity."
George Bernard Shaw

"I believe the time has come to acknowledge that the practice of routine circumcision rests on the absurd premise that the only mammal in creation born in the condition that requires immediate surgical correction is the human male." Thomas Szasz, M.D.

Site Originally Created 1/29/97
Last Update: 8/13/02 12:50 A.M.

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The Circumcision Decision: An Overview
by Mary G. Ray,©1998

Quite a number of famous child care experts and doctors recommend against circumcision in their books. Dr. Dean Edell has expressed oposition against infant cirumcision for at least 15 years now. Sheila Kitzinger very emphatically recommends that parents leave their sons intact. Dr. Lendon Smith goes into detail explaining the foreskin’s purposes and giving all the reasons why circumcision should not be performed. Dr. Spock, in his most recent book, stated “I feel that there’s no solid medical evidence at this time to support routine circumcision.” He recommends “leaving the foreskin the way Nature meant it to be.” Penelope Leach also recommends against routine circumcision. Click here to see the list of their books.  

8/6/02 Fox News Channel Routine Procedure or Child Abuse?
8/1/02 Men's News Daily Circumcision Case to Proceed to Trial
March 1, 1999: After a two year investigation, the  American Academy of Pediatrics concluded that the "potential medical benefits" of infant circumcision aren't significant enough and therefore, they do not recommend it as a routine procedure.
For more information, CLICK HERE  

Routine Infant Circumcision [RIC] is not practiced in most medically advanced nations. Unlike American parents, few parents worldwide are actually faced with this choice. Their babies are automatically brought home intact. 82% of the world’s living men are intact. Few people are aware of the fact that circumcision was introduced to our culture in an attempt to eliminate masturbation.

Do not forfeit this decision out of respectful submission to your doctor. There are many benefits to keeping the foreskin intact. Typically, American doctors have limited knowledge in these areas. Many are totally unaware that the foreskin actually requires no special care.

People mistakenly believe the circumcised penis is cleaner. The myth that the penis with a foreskin is difficult to clean is exactly that -- a myth. Cleaning is so simple, it’s amazing that people fret so much about it. The big hoopla over hygiene is pure and unnecessary paranoia.  See also:  Smegma Beneficial Not Bad

Circumcision is painful.  Although many suggest that anesthesia solves that problem, there are risks associated with anesthesia, including recent death.  It isn't always effective and the needle itself is extremely painful.

Some medical and childbirth professionals recommend that expectant parents request permission from their hospital to observe a circumcision being performed. There are also videos available.  As with any medical event, people should be made aware of what exactly is involved.  This site and others describe the details of all the different circumcision methods.

Some children are surprised to learn that their penis has been cut and that a part of it has been discarded. Some have to live with circumcisions that had unsatisfactory results and the pursuit of foreskin restoration is not uncommon. You may read a written account and actually see the progress of one man's restoration process thru his photos over the course of several months. Foreskin Restoration Personal Journal

Circumcision does not guarantee a problem free penis. In fact, in many cases it is the very thing that initiates numerous problems. Careful cleaning must be performed. Infections of the raw wound are common.
Remaining Foreskin Reattaching (Adhesions)
Nathan, Intact, Born 10/13/97

Repeated infections can result in meatal stenosis (a narrowing of the urinary opening) which may require surgery. Meticulous care is needed in order to avoid the formation of an adhesion (scar tissue). This can result in a disfigurement and corrective surgery may be necessary. Some people complain that not enough skin was removed during their son’s circumcision. They fear he looks uncircumcised. Children are often subjected to circumcisions being ‘redone.’ Sometimes, a circumcision may only appear to be incomplete when actually it is not. There may be fat pads in the pubic area. “When the child grows and the fat pad disappears,” it will likely have the look of an ordinary circumcised penis. [Semel] Often too much tissue is removed, although this is not become obvious until later. This can cause painful erections and curvature of the penis. And finally, the circumcised penis is not immune to infections, sexually transmitted diseases or penile cancer.

Many parents are led to believe that circumcision is safer than leaving the penis in its natural form. Your Child’s Health by Barton Schmitt reports one out of every 500 circumcisions results in a serious complication. Many things can go wrong including hemorrhage, infections and damage to the penis. Much of the harm of circumcision does not become apparent until adulthood.

The assumption that circumcision is inevitable at some later time is a myth. This fear is unwarranted. In Taking Care of Your Child, the authors state “The overwhelming majority of uncircumcised boys never develop medical problems.” There is a less than 1% chance that circumcision will ever be medically necessary. If only one out of a hundred boys will require circumcision later, why then should the remaining 99 be automatically circumcised?

Even in the unlikely event it were necessary, which is worse -- adult or infant circumcision? Many are told or automatically assume it's easier and less complicated for an infant.   Find out why this just isn't so.

Inappropriately, the foreskin is still blamed for countless problems. So with the best of intentions, parents continue to authorize the procedure totally unaware of the risks taken and loss involved. But these medical problems are usually caused by other means. Penile and cervical cancers, urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases have nothing to do with the foreskin itself. The information as to what actually causes these conditions is readily available.

It appears that the major reason circumcision persists in this country is that many think all penises should look alike. The “like father, like son” argument is famous as is the locker room question.

Some insist it simply ‘looks better’ that way. There are women who claim to sexually prefer a circumcised penis. What they may not realize is that there are sexual advantages to remaining intact. Male sexuality and the anatomy of the foreskin is discussed frankly and graphically here.  Read personal accounts from men and women who've experienced sex with and without.

"The fact that many circumcised men will ardently defend the continued practice ...and dismiss it as a trivial matter has its parallel among circumised women in Africa."  Tim Hammond, NOHARMM
 How is Female Circumcision Trivialized?

One thing is certain and those who are fully informed know that non-religious circumcision is not medically necessary. Knowing this, if a parent still chooses to circumcise their baby, they are doing it for so-called cosmetic reasons. Non religious RIC persists in America because it has become part of our culture. It has evolved into a purely cosmetic procedure. As an infant, he is forced to experience the parent’s preference. Upon maturity, the son may not share the same preference. He may later conclude that if it had been left up to him, he would have preferred to remain intact.

Parents who choose circumcision for cosmetic reasons do not realize that it cannot be accurately described as truely cosmetic. When it is presented so lightly, people naturally assume the effects of circumcision are minimal -- even insignificant. The word is extremely misleading. Cosmetic surgery is performed to improve physical appearance without affecting function.  The foreskin, commonly believed to have no purpose, actually has numerous functions and all of them are eliminated when the foreskin is removed.

Circumcision is irreversible. Healthy, functioning tissue is amputated from a helpless baby. Many have taken the position that the procedure is a human rights violation. The question is whether parents have the right to consent to an unnecessary procedure that has lifelong consequences.

Today, many Jews are questioning circumcision and opting against it.  Some Christians also believe circumcision is required.  Read Religious Circumcision to address both Jewish and Christian circumcision.  

“The physician today has a duty to discourage circumcision and to refuse to perform it.” Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, April 1996. An organization called Doctors Opposing Circumcision (D.O.C.) is committed to stopping RIC.

In all studies to date, the risks of circumcision have always exceeded any alleged benefits, a fact that often is not made clear to parents." Circumcision and the Code of Ethics, George C. Denniston, M.D., M.P.H., Humane Health Care International, Vol. 12, No. 2, April 1996.      "Study provides further evidence that circumcision for non-medical reasons may be a mistake." The Chronicle of Urology & Sexual Medicine, Routine Circumcision Questioned as Prepuce May Have Special Function.     Some insurance companies no longer provide coverage for routine infant circumcision and there are hospitals that refuse to perform it because there is no medical indication. “We feel medical procedures should be for medical reasons...” [Pantell] Some hospitals refuse to perform RICs without any medical indication.     During a two year review conducted by the Fetus & Newborn Committee of the Canadian Paediatric Society to determine whether routine circumcision of newborns should be recommended, it was concluded that "Circumcision of newborns should not be routinely performed." This official statement can be found in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Mar 13, 1996, 154(6), 769-780.   Position Statements of Medical Societies in English Speaking Countries

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©1997, Mary G. Ray, All Rights Reserved

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NOTICE: The pages of this site are provided for information purposes only. This is not a substitute for the personal care you can obtain from your medical professional. Whenever faced with a medical problem, please seek the advice of your family doctor. Mothers Against Circumcision presents this data as is, without any warranty of any kind, express or implied.