So we ask ourselves why? Why does society allow this?  Why are 63 percent of American newborns circumcised?  Why do we feel the need to conform?  Why are we putting our boys through this unnecessary pain?  “…Because my doctor says it’s OK”, I hear.  Most people don’t know that a doctor can make an extra 100,000.00 a year just on this 20-minute procedure alone. 

“Circumcision makes it look better.”  It is really difficult for me to understand a parent wanting to put their son through this simply because they feel it looks better.   Here is something to consider when you finding yourself in this mindset: 

“Many parents are led to believe that circumcision is safer than leaving the penis in its natural form.  About 4 out of 100 are either considered unsatisfactory or result in some sort of complication.  Many things can go wrong during a circumcision including hemorrhage, infections and damage to the penis. People tend to believe that the circumcised penis is less prone to problems. However, circumcised babies experience substantially more problems than the baby left intact.”

There have been many times when the gland of the penis has been severed and in this case in 1985, two boys were victims of staphylococcal infections.  The port of entry was the circumcision wound. One boy died seven days later and the other is blind and a spastic quadriplegic.  You risk deformity of the penis, infection and loss of life.

“I want my son to look like me.”  I think it’s pretty rare to see a father and son comparing scars or foreskins, but in any case it will be a long time before a son looks like his father. 

“Circumcision makes for a cleaner and maintenance free penis.”  Isn’t it insulting to the average male’s intelligence to think that surgery is preferable because he can’t be entrusted with washing his genitals when somehow he manages to brush his teeth, clean his ears and blow his nose.  Here is what one little boy told his mother after asking why people get circumcised:

"People thought that boys would not keep themselves clean if they weren’t circumcised,"
Her little 5 year old said, "Well, that’s dumb mom!!
What are they gonna do?  Cut their butts off too?!"  Out of the mouths of babes.  This is quoted from a bulletin board post at ParentsPlace.com. The fact is it is very easy to care for an intact penis.

The foreskin is actually designed by nature to provide protection against disease and injury.  By understanding these protections, we allow the foreskin to function in its role of protecting the human body from infection and disease. It allows for a natural lubrication during intercourse, it allows for greater sensitivity, and it allows protection from debris, abrasions, and desensitization.  

What if we suppose that circumcision causes no "harm" to the male: that it does not lead to death between one in twenty-four thousand and one in five hundred thousand cases; that no penises are inadvertently ablated and that no chromosome XY infants are raised chromosome XX; and that circumcision does not remove erogenous tissue and lead to altered sexual practices.

What if we suppose that adequate pain control techniques are developed (and used) so that during the procedure infants do not rupture their stomachs, vomit, and stop breathing due to overwhelming, intractable pain? What if we suppose that a safe post-operative analgesic is also developed so that the infant does not suffer irritation as urine and feces bathe his raw penis?

What if we also suppose that circumcision prevents masturbation; that circumcision prevents penile cancer, and that circumcision prevents cervical cancer; and that circumcision prevents sexually transmitted diseases; and that circumcision cures meningitis; and that circumcision prevents childhood diseases; and that circumcision prevents urinary tract infections; and that circumcision prevents HIV infections.

What if we suppose all this?