To Cut or Not: The Circumcision Debate

Circumcision lowers the risk of HIV by 60% and lowers cervical cancer of sexual partners, but is it worth the trauma?

World over, Muslims, Christians and Jews circumcise their male child for religious reasons. The practice is highly debated and rates are dwindling in many parts of the world (Photo: iStock)

• Benefits of circumcision far outweigh the risks by 100:1 - CDC Atlanta
• Circumcision recommended for any country battling HIV: W.H.O.
• It cuts down the risk of penile cancer and urinary tract infection in men by 30%
• The trauma of the procedure permanently re-wires the newborn’s brain for pain sensitivity
• Some infants also go into shock during the procedure

Anti-male circumcision activists and believers, take note: the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Atlanta and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have declared that the benefit-to-risk ratio of circumcision is 100:1.

Male circumcision, or the practice of surgically removing a part of the male child’s foreskin is an ancient one, with evidence of Asian, European and African civilisations practising it from 2400 BC.

The foreskin is attached to the penis by the same type of tissues which adheres the nails to the fingers. The pain experienced by the baby during the procedure is the equivalent of putting a finger in the door hinge and slamming the door shut.

So why are parents still doing it?

The Pros

The penis is a sensitive organ yet more than a third of the world chooses to cut off a chunk of their son’s manhood for the sake of religion or tradition. The Muslims, Christians and Jews do it.

Worldwide the rates of circumcision vary but in the US they have come down from 67% in 1990 to 56% currently. (Photo: iStock)

The World Health Organisation recommends circumcision to any country looking to battle HIV infections.

The foreskin isn’t just a layer of skin over the junk. The Mayo Clinic estimates that over their lifetime, more than half the men will require some foreskin-related medical attention.

Circumcision lowers the risk of HIV by 60%, reduces the risk of herpes by 30% and drastically cuts down on the risk of cancer of the penis in adulthood.

Not just this, a large scale study done by Tata Memorial Hospital in 2014 found that the rates of cervical cancer in Muslim women across India are one-fourth of the national average. Circumcision in Muslim men was concluded to be the “obvious factor”.

The Cons

Circumcision is very painful and traumatic, resulting in large increases in heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormone levels in the baby. 

The practice is ancient and religious, but is it necessary?

No medical organisation says circumcision offers immediate health benefits. Circumcision is a traditional practice among whites in America; 56% of American children are snipped at birth.

Anti-circumcision activists question why only the American research groups claim the potential benefits of circumcision which are either rare (penile cancer), easily treatable (urinary tract infections) or can be prevented in less intrusive ways (condoms in the case of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV).

Scientists at the Royal Australian College, Sydney found that the trauma of circumcision “permanently re-wires the baby’s brain making him sensitive towards pain for life”. Some infants go into shock during the procedure. Long term damages of this are not known.

Snipping off the foreskin also cuts the 20,000 nerve endings around it. From a sexual point of view, circumcision removes one-third of the erogenous tissues around man’s most valued package!

What Do Real Moms Think?

Religion and health aren’t the only concerns parents weigh when making the decision to cut or not to cut; tradition is also a factor (Photo: iStock)

The Quint spoke to a mum from Mumbai whose son is not circumcised, but who sometimes wishes he was.

When my little guy was three months old, he was hospitalised with a chronic urinary tract infection. He was in so much pain, it was heartbreaking. He was on IV antibiotics for three days. That was 10 years back. Thank God we didn’t have to go through that again.

- Monica, Mother

A Muslim mum from Bangalore who witnessed the aftermath of her nephew’s circumcision swore never to do it to her baby even if that meant rebelling against a conservative family.

It’s not like they are slicing a cheesecake! The idea of chopping off a piece of my baby was horrifying. My husband (who is circumcised) agreed.

- Fiza*, Mother

And when the family shames her for this, she says she feels stronger about answering: “My baby, my choice”.