A completely preventable human tragedy
Q: My husband and I are about to have our first child — a baby boy. We’re thrilled, but have differing opinions on the subject of circumcision. Can you give us any medical insight into this issue?
Dr. Wright: Religious traditions should be respected. This is sometimes the reason for male circumcision…and I don’t argue with it. But most male circumcisions performed in the United States are not done out of any deep religious belief but “because that’s what’s usually done.”
Every day, thousands of baby boys are getting half the skin on their penises removed in a painful procedure for absolutely no medical reason. And they are suffering for it in ways that are seldom considered. It’s not the parents’ fault — most doctors don’t talk about the risks or reasons; they just take out their knives and get started.
The following is just a sampling of what baby boys lose forever when they are circumcised:
- A 15-square inch piece of skin (when grown to adult size), that protects against abrasion, drying, and contaminants of all sorts
- The primary erogenous zone containing between 10,000 and 20,000 of the most important sensory components of the penis
- Much of the immunologic defense of the male sex organ, including cells which produce antibodies and bacteria-killing enzymes
- Apocrine glands which produce pheromones, nature’s invisible sexual signaling chemicals
- Lubricating glands, which protect both male and female sexual organs during intercourse
The American Academy of Pediatrics has actually recommended against routine infant circumcision since 1971 but hasn’t done a very good job making that position clear. Finally, in 1999, it clearly stated that the scientific evidence backing up circumcision is insufficient to recommend it. Or, as the old adage goes: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”
