Circumcision is Pointless

On request of their parents, many children around the world are subjected to removal of the foreskin, which covers the head of the penis. But circumcision is quite pointless. Why?

Reasons for circumcision

Circumcized men have fewer problems with hygiene. The penis is dry all the time and smegma doesn’t accumulate under the foreskin. As a consequence, the partner also benefits from that because she's less likely to contract vaginal infections triggered by the man’s poor hygiene. Circumcised men are less likely to contract certain sexually transmitted diseases, for example they’re less likely to contract HIV. In addition to medical reasons, there are also aesthetic reasons for circumcision. Some men prefer to have apenis without the foreskin. There are a number of other reasons as well. For many people, circumcision is simply a matter of tradition they should respect.

Reasons against circumcision

The strongest reason against circumcision is the fact that there are too few reasons for circumcision. All of the above is true, but that’s an insufficient reason to carry out such a risky surgical procedure. This is similar to deciding for removal of your tonsils because they might cause problems in the future, or taking out wisdom teeth, or operating the appendix of a newborn. All these organs are blind ending structures and don’t have a particular function, but nobody in their right mind would remove them in an infant. Moreover, the foreskin plays a very important role and cannot be considered unnecessary.

The main reason against circumcision is of ethical nature. A child has the right to make a decision about his (or her) own body. In the case of circumcision, parents violate this right because they don’t consider the child’s opinion. Yes, circumcision is relatively painless if performed correctly and under local anaesthesia. However, the question still remains whether parents have the right to make that decision for their child.

The last argument against circumcision is of aesthetic nature. Some people simply don’t like the way the penis looks without foreskin.

Would you undergo circumcision as an adult? No? So don’t castrate your children!

Circumcision is a serious matter. Many men wouldn’t undergo circumcision of their own decision. The wound heals for a long time and an intense pain is felt during every erection. If a men goes through with the procedure, he does that solely because of serious medical reasons or strong religious beliefs. Considering that a child doesn’t understand the meaning of religion, it’s very difficult to assess whether he or she would decide to undergo circumcision. Even if according to your religion you believe that a person cannot enjoy divine grace unless the foreskin on the head of the penis is removed, you can wait for your children to grow up and decide for themselves whether they want such grace. If the foreskin has to be removed because of medical reasons, the approval of a child, or an adult, isn’t really required.

In general, circumcision is requested by parents on the basis of their beliefs, which is not approved of by people who deprive parents of such power on the basis of an agreement on a child’s human rights. Some people think that circumcision is a fascinating ritual, while others think it’s cruel torture. In principle, it’s similar to female circumcision, and we know most people have a negative attitude towards the latter. Removal of a part of the body is still considered as amputation, and in the case of female circumcision, it’s considered as mutilation. Male circumcision is therefore perceived differently, although it has the same origin. The foreskin (prepuce) is part of the penis. If a part of the penis is removed, this is castration, even if there aren’t any direct consequences.

HIV cannot be prevented or treated by cutting off a piece of the skin and saying that everything is going to be all right now and that it’s safe to have sex. Men won’t improve their hygiene by cutting off a part of the penis. In principle, that’s a very perverted opinion where cause and effect are turned around. And if you believe that God cares about your child’s penis, you have to take time and think clearly about God. If there’s no other way to follow tradition of a particular ethnic group than partially castrate your child, you may have to reconsider your tradition. If you think that your child’s penis looks more beautiful without foreskin, you should ask yourself why the appearance of your child’s penis matters so much to you.

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