Male-Female Circumcision = Mutilation-Violation?

Separated at Birth: Male & Female Circumcision

Male Circumcision: History

Egyptians and Aztecs performed circumcision for hygiene purposes.

Old Testament (Genesis 17:10-11) “…You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.”

Gained popularity as a routine surgery in America in the late 19^th century

1896 a very popular parenting book All About Baby recommended circumcision for most boys to “halt the vile habit of masturbation.

Circumcision is a surgical procedure that removes some or all of the foreskin from the penis.

Male Circumcision: When?

Most males infants are circumcised at birth in the hospital where they were born.

Male Circumcision: Where?

Current national rates of Male

Circumcision:

*Australia: 15%

*Canada: 20%

*United States: 60%

Male Circumcision: Pros & Cons

Pros

Reduces risk of…

Urinary Tract Infections

Cancer of the Penis

Passing STDs

Cons

Trauma and possible shock to the infant

Injury and Bleeding

Scaring

Infections and Irritation

Common Reasons for Circumcision

1. Foreskins are useless

No they are not, they are a mucus membrane that protects the “bell head” of the penis and keeps the penis soft, supple, and sensitive helping to maintain sexual sensation.

2. It looks bigger

Risking a 2-10% chance of medical complications so your son can have the illusion that he has a larger penis is just not justifiable.

When your son is older and if he feels that he would like to create this illusion, he can make that decision. There is no need to have a larger looking penis when you are a child.

3. Last longer in bed

This is true because circumcised men lose 70% of their nerves at the end of the penis.

Also, there is no reason to make decisions when your son is an infant that will affect the sex life of him and his partner.

True, because the head is more inpenetrable.

5. Lowers the chances of cancer

Statistically true, also chopping off your testicles also lowers your chances for testicular cancer.

6. It’s Cleaner

A circumcised penis is exposed to everything that it comes in contact with. While a circumcised penis is healing, it is constantly being exposed to urine and feces.

All that needs to be done when washing an uncircumcised penis, is to pull back the skin and rinse. This procedure does not take more than a minute.

7. It Will Look Like His Father's

This is the number one reason in America.

With this logic then if the baby's father was amputated at the arm would you proceed to cut the baby's arm off?

Male Circumcision: Statistics

In the U.S., over 1.25 million infants are annually circumcised…that’s more than 3,300 babies each day…and one child every 26 seconds.

Female Circumcision: What is it?

Type I: Clitoridectomy
A Clitoridectomy involves the removal or splitting of the clitoral hood with or without excision of the clitoris

Type II: Excision
An Excision involves the removal of the clitoris plus part or all of the labia minora

Type III: Infibulation
An Infibulation is the removal of part or all of the labia minora with the labia majora sewn together, covering the urethra and vagina and leaving a small whole for urine and menstrual fluid

Type IV: Other Types
This includes a diverse range of practices, including pricking the clitoris with needles, burning or scarring the genitals as well as ripping or tearing of the vagina or introducing herbs into the vagina to cause bleeding and a narrowed vaginal opening

Female Circumcision: Today
Female genital cutting is today mainly practiced in African countries:
Senegal
Somalia
Egypt
Sudan
Ethiopia
Mali

While Female Genital Cutting is widely practiced out in the open by Africans of all faiths, it is practiced in secrecy in some parts of the Middle East:

§Saudi Arabia

§Jordan

§Iraq

§Syria

§Iran

The practice can also be found among a few ethnic groups in South America and very rarely in India.

Reasons for Female Circumcision

maintenance of cleanliness

maintenance of good health

preservation of virginity

enhancement of fertility

prevention of stillbirths in women pregnant for the first time

prevention of promiscuity

increase of matrimonial opportunities

improvement of male sexual performance and pleasure

promotion of social and political cohesion

Male Circumcision: Health

Protection

The foreskin normally covers the glans and protects it from abrasion, drying, callusing & environmental contaminants. The glans is intended by nature to be a protected internal organ, like the female clitoris. Increasing reports by circumcised men indicate that keratinization (callusing) causes a loss of sexual sensation, pleasure & fulfillment.

Gliding Action

The foreskin is the only moving part of the penis. During any sexual activity, the foreskin and glans work in unison; their mutual interaction creates a complete sexual response.

In heterosexual intercourse, the non-abrasive gliding of the penis in and out of itself within the vagina facilitates smooth and pleasurable intercourse.

Without this gliding action, the corona of the circumcised penis can function as a one-way valve, dragging vaginal lubricants out into the drying air and making artificial lubricants essential for non-painful intercourse.

The Frenulum

This is a highly nerve-laden web of tissue that connects the inner foreskin to the underside of the glans.

For many intact men, the penile frenulum is a male "G-spot" that is highly pleasurable when repeatedly stretched and relaxed during sexual activity.

Depending on the surgical method used, the frenulum is partially to completely destroyed by circumcision.

Proper Blood Flow

*The foreskin contains several feet of blood vessels, including the frenular artery and branches of the dorsal artery. The loss of this rich vascularization interrupts normal blood flow to the shaft and glans of the penis, damaging the natural function of the penis and altering its development.

Female Circumcision:

Sex & Health

*Female Circumcision causes sex to be very painful for the female and can also pose more serious risks of death to mother and child during the birthing process. From the cutting, since technology is so primitive there can also be deadly infection.

Male Circumcision: Sex

British Journal of Urology has one study produced by O’hara and O’hara in 1999

139 Women Surveyed

73% preferred the more gentle shorter thrusts of an uncircumcised male.