Circumcision is Not Minor Surgery
Minor surgery is said to be any surgery that is performed on someone else. To infants and children, amputation of a normal, healthy, sensitive, functional body organ is not minor surgery. Non-therapeutic neonatal circumcision is performed on non-consenting patients. In the case of older boys, it is often performed when less invasive treatments would suffice─alternatives that do not have the risks, complications, and lifelong loss inherent in circumcision.
The short-term risks of circumcision include:
• Bleeding—the foreskin is highly vascularized, making hemorrhage a particular risk.
• Infection—from trivial to life-threatening systemic infections are quite common, especially with the rise of deadly hospital MRSA infections.
• Surgical accident—the foreskin is tiny and there are no guidelines for the amount of skin to be removed, allowing for the accidental denuding of the entire shaft of the penis or the amputation of part or all of the glans penis.
• Death—may result from bleeding, infection, urinary retention, or cardiac arrest. Since there is no central registry of circumcision deaths, the actual number of babies who die from circumcision is unknown, but has been estimated to be over 100 annually in the United States.
Less common immediate complications include life-threatening pulmonary embolism, apnea, projectile vomiting, tachycardia, heart failure, and pneumothorax.
The long-term, post-operative, iatrogenic (doctor-caused) complications of circumcision, not seen in intact boys, include:
• Urinary retention—from improperly placed bandages or a slipped Plastibell ring, which may result in a ruptured bladder, renal failure, or interruption of circulation in the lower extremities.
• Adhesions and skin bridges—the result of two raw surfaces becoming attached when healing.
• Meatal complications—including meatitis (inflammation of the urinary opening), meatal ulceration (due to loss of protection of the meatus), and meatal stenosis (narrowing of the meatal opening).
• Post-circumcision phimosis—caused when the circumcision scar forms beyond the glans, entrapping it.
• Inconspicuous, buried, trapped, or concealed penis—caused by circumcision.
• Loss of the gliding action of the foreskin.
• Loss of full sensitivity.
Miscellaneous post-operative complications include chordee (curved penis), inclusion cysts, lymphedema, and neuromas.
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While I circ'd my 8-month old son, I do support and understand the anti-circ's. Personally, I think that the circ'd penis looks better, I've seen pictures of un-circ'd ones and I wouldn't touch one of those with a 10-foot pole. The bottom line is that the risks are real but extremely rare, the majority of men in my life have never had problems with it, so there's my personal data (on the internet you can find data to back you up for just about anything). As far as it scarring the male for life is a little crazy to me, my son just might be the happiest boy you'll ever meet...but maybe he'll be a serial killer later in life because his mom circ'd him, something I'll have to live with I suppose.
The only personal data that counts is your own for your OWN body. Your personal data for other people's body has no bearing on their subsequent entire life. Your son is scarred, even if you refuse to recognize it.
You're entitled to your sexual preferences but you shouldn't enforce your prejudices onto an infant.
"I wouldn't touch one of those with a 10-foot pole"
Very shallow. Its ignorance at its best.
I'm much happier knowing my intact sons won't be bringing any woman LIKE YOU home, let alone marry her. They have their God-Given 'Shallow Woman Filter'!
A smart daughter-in-law is an added bonus when choosing to leave your son whole.
Reputable estimates have the risks at 0.2% to 0.6% being primarily minor bleeding but this expert claims that infection is quite common. Is it just me or do others see a credibility problem there?
You gotta do better than that. Schoen's statistics are 0.2%-0.4%. Your's are 0.2%-0.6%. Thus your "relevant source" is other than Schoen. What is it? Schwarts & Charney's medical textbook says the reportable hospital rate is a full 4%. One in twenty-five not including repairs at the doctor's office or outpatient clinic. The Post-dismissal rate for meatal stenosis is 9%-10%.
circumcision injures the male sexual organ... and that is not 'minor' to either the male or his partner.
the foreskin of the penis is like the eyelid of the eye. without an eyelid, the eye loses moisture and vision is seriously impaired... same with the foreskin of the male... or female, for that matter. we circumcised have been sexually blinded. we have had a stick in the eye and have no idea what normal vision is.
i have a friend who works in a children's clinic. the doctor there who performs circumcisions was shocked when she finally was told that many of her patients return, needing repair. she assumed that her customers had no adverse reactions. doctors are blind to the harm they have been causing children and society.
promoting genital cutting is advocating unnecessary damage to a very important part of the male anatomy. ask any man who has experience both intact and cut. circumcision is not minor surgery.