help stop genital mutilation

[mellowtigger]

Yes, there are more urgent matters facing the nation, but this is still a very intimate subject and worthy of discussion (and hopefully action).

There is apparently a movement underway to get the American Academy of Pediatrics to recommend circumcising all male children at birth. I have heard before that there is very little medical literature to support such wide-reaching policy. Even at the websites I've read which support the idea, they admit that the medical benefits are very minor.

In contrast, however, is the obvious ethical problem of mutilating an infant's genitals. Surgery without consent of the subject or immediate threat to their life should be against the Hippocratic Oath! Please (whether you are male or female, gay or straight) consider signing both the petition and the letter to stop the AAP proposal. If there are truly any health benefits to be had, please let the child grow up to make his own choice about the condition of his body. I don't know why America is so backwards on this issue, but please consider helping to change the status quo.

I'm amused that this site even has political maternity clothes for expectant (and supportive) mothers to wear:



And those of you tempted to invoke religious beliefs, I ask why your Creator of the human form screwed up male bodies so badly that He requires you to significantly modify them immediately upon their introduction to the world? That's a really serious blow to the whole "infallible" theory, isn't it? Please leave the bodily form of your child as you found it. He can make his own choices later.

My ex (from France) got circumcised in his 30s as he converted to Judaism. It was his choice, and that's consistent with my call to action here. Leave the infant alone; let the adult man decide.

Comments

[pink-halen.livejournal.com]

There is evidence that the Circumsizing ritual from biblical days was just a small cut. When they found that men were stretching them back the started cutting off more so it would be more difficult to pass. It makes sense as a ritual. It doesn't make much sense as a medical necessity.

[mellowtigger]

I'm very skeptical of the foreskin restoration procedures. I think that they work, yes. I just doubt their long-term safety. Stretching skin causes the cells to divide to produce extra tissue. Cell division is one of the causes of dna damage that can eventually lead to cancer.

My theory is that men who indulge in foreskin restoration will be at increased risk for skin cancer (in an already sensitive area). I have no data yet that supports the theory, but I still think my reasoning is sound. I hope that long-term studies someday show that there is no cause for worry.

[bluebear2.livejournal.com]

I've never heard of any restorer getting cancer from it so it's just your theory. Do people who gain weight also get cancer because of all the skin they grow? Or people who stretch their earlobes.

[fuzzyjay.livejournal.com]

Skin cells are constantly sloughing off and being replaced. The cell division continues for your whole life.