Should circumcision be illegal?

[CapnAwesome]

WWII, American soldiers deployed to equatorial climes who were not already circumcised BEGGED to be circumcised.

Why?

[Amarok]

WWII, American soldiers deployed to equatorial climes who were not already circumcised BEGGED to be circumcised.  

Why?

It was believed there was less of a chance of them getting disease due to a lack of bathing .Of course this is disputed
https://www.circinfo.org/Circumcision_and_sand.html

[Little lunch]

If I had a boy I wouldn't get it done.
That being said, I myself am a Darth Vader and I can't help but feel offended when y'all are calling my manhood mutilated.
Also, circumcision isn't the worst thing a parent can do to their child.
Should it be illegal to have a child without a 2 year parenting degree?
And I know that some anteaters have had the snip in later life and claimed to lose sensitivity.
I'm wondering how much and can it be proven or measured using scientific methods.
I'm like a stratovolcano and I don't know if my eco system could handle any more.
Anyway, if your gonna claim it should be illegal than what do you think the punishment should be for offenders?
May as well think it through all the way.

[Edwardo Piet]

Comparing the foreskin to a skin tag? Worst analogy ever (although I expect no better than terrible from henryp).

You could make the same argument for removing clitorises

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I read this far. Know that I am not interested in discussing this with you anymore. So shove your half witted rethoric up your arse because we clearly are not talking about the same thing. Teeth problems are a CLEAR CUT case of a health problem like clised prepuces, hair grows back sure as nails.

We are talking about irreversible procedures done on a non consenting human for the sake of vanity.

Don't adress me again with such childish arguments. You got cut up and are broken to accept it because your parents love you? Good. But you are FUBAR.

Very rarely are braces beneficial to health. It's almost always a purely aesthetic thing.

...foreskins are beneficial to health. Mutilating foreskins isn't.

I can't understand how as a Christian you can think that God made man in his own image "apart from the foreskin which is an unhealthy mistake than God made" (not quoting you directly just pointing out that your position makes no sense).

All the stuffs about improving hygiene and STD prevention are myths and red herrings. Like I said, removing someone's foot is a also a way to prevent toe infection... and you could make many of the same arguments for removing clitorises...

Wash your penis and wear a condom. Washing your penis is a better way to keep it clean than removing a foreskin and wearing a condom is a better way to prevent STDs than mutilating part of someone's penis.

And by the way, anytime you say something like asexuality isn't natural again I'll try to remember to say "Neither is cutting off part of someone's penis but at least asexuality is harmless."

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You can ask Valk.  She'd probably agree.  It's more reasonable done on an infant who won't have any memory of the pain.  An adult WILL have memory of the pain, wishing his parents had been smart enough to have it done when he was an infant.

Ok. I didn’t know Valk was the authority on genital mutilation 🙄
Anyway, it’s entirely unnecessary alteration of the genitals it shouldn’t be allowed on children regardless of whether or not they’ll remember it.

Indeed.

If you beat someone up and then drug them so they don't remember it does that make it okay because they didn't remember it?

[Antares]

I don't think any parent should have the right to cut off parts of their children's genitals.

We all know the shock when female circumcision is brought up. Why is that? I think infant male and female circumcision are equally horrific. Present the idea of circumcision and religion to the teen and see how well that goes over with them. 
  “Johnny, we need to have a talk.” 
  I dated a Nigerian woman from the predominantly Christian Akwa Ibom tribe. She had her genitals carved up when she was just a baby.    She explained that the practice is done to prevent promiscuity in teenage girls. She was in her late 20s when we met.

[downbeatplumb]

I don't think any parent should have the right to cut off parts of their children's genitals.

This is a super hot button topic on these forums. I don't have a strong opinion either way. I can see the argument against it as you're cutting a piece of skin off from a baby. On the other hand, circumcision does have health benefits as it helps prevent infections and the spread of STD's. It's all about whether or not you think the "evil" (cutting a piece of skin off a baby) outweighs the good (preventing future complications/infections). Whether or not it should be legal should also depend on that.

It should only be done for medical reasons such as a tight foreskin. Anything else is subjecting a small child to a needled medical procedure that does produce pain and associated risks.
For non-medical reasons then it is just genital mutilation for no reason other than that's what people do.

[henryp]

Are there any circumcised folks in here that wished they were uncircumcised, or vice versa?

[The Grand Nudger]

I'd expect most people to be generally happy with the dick they have.

[Catholic_Lady]

Very rarely are braces beneficial to health. It's almost always a purely aesthetic thing.

...foreskins are beneficial to health. Mutilating foreskins isn't.

I can't understand how as a Christian you can think that God made man in his own image "apart from the foreskin which is an unhealthy mistake than God made" (not quoting you directly just pointing out that your position makes no sense).

All the stuffs about improving hygiene and STD prevention are myths and red herrings. Like I said, removing someone's foot is a also a way to prevent toe infection... and you could make many of the same arguments for removing clitorises...

Wash your penis and wear a condom. Washing your penis is a better way to keep it clean than removing a foreskin and wearing a condom is a better way to prevent STDs than mutilating part of someone's penis.

And by the way, anytime you say something like asexuality isn't natural again I'll try to remember to say "Neither is cutting off part of someone's penis but at least asexuality is harmless."

As I said, the information I got comes from my mother in law who is a doctor. According to what she has seen, the problem arises when, for whatever reason, a man is not washing himself very well. Whether that be because of old age, disability, being in an environment where it can't be done, etc. And for his sexual partner, if he doesn't wash up right before sex (or wear a condom if he has an std).

So yes, there ARE health and hygene benefits to circumsicion. Henry even posted an official medical link saying exactly that. The question is whether or not those benefits outweigh the pain and/or discomfort a baby feels during the procedure, to where doing it is justifiable.

Personally I don't have a strong position on this, and can see both sides. I think if the issue becomes relevant to someone because they have a baby boy on the way, that person should ask the opinion of a doctor they trust as well as do their own research to make the decision that they believe is in the best interest of their son and his health and quality of life. Whatever is done should be done in the best interest of the boy, period, and not for any sort of personal self fulfilling reasons.

As far as the Christian thing goes, the majority of Christian denominations don't view it as sinful to change certain things about our bodies when doing so may be beneficial in some way. We can do laser hair removal to permanently get rid of body hair, we can wear braces to change the alignment of our teeth, we can get tattoos, we can get piercings, and we can surgically alter certain parts of our bodies, etc. Being "created by God" doesn't mean our bodies are perfect, because the natural world, which we are a part of, is not perfect.

[vorlon13]

I'm circumcised, and don't care.

Some gay men have successfully 'reversed' their circumcisions, I've never felt the need as I've received no comments, good or bad, about being cut myself.

As for guys I've been with, don't really care. Oral sex is somewhat slightly more interesting if uncut, anal I can't tell.

Handedness has always been a bigger deal to me. (lefties can be more fun)