Is circumcision wrong or okay?

One of my friends is having a baby boy this December and we were talking about whether or not she wanted to have him circumcised. She isn't sure about it (and isn't Jewish either) and there always seems to be conflicting evidence regarding health and circumcision. However, when I was a NA in the nursing homes, a lot of the elderly uncircumcised men tended to have more health problems in that "area" than the elderly men who were circumcised. But at the same time, shouldn't the guy be able to make that choice later on? Yet on the flip side, if you are older and have a circumcision, it causes more pain than anything else.

So are there really health benefits? The American Pediatric Association doesn't endorse it, and I think most parents opt for it because it's easier for hygiene. But what do the real facts say-- should a potential parent consider it done? Why or why not? Serious answers please.

Where is the evidence that shows it decreases risks for infections?

There are mental health reasons NOT to circumcise! A close friend of mine can remember when he was circumcised at birth.

He was taken from his parents and it was literally ripped off him.. and in many countries they still do it without anaesthesia! He felt his parents let him down, particularly his dad, for letting that happen to him and this affected him for years.

It is a natural part of a man's body, why on earth remove it?

In some countries they remove a baby girls clitoris! How barbaric is that! And removing a foreskins is just as barbaric, IMHO.

"Inappropriately, the foreskin is still blamed for countless problems. So with the best of intentions, parents continue to authorize the procedure totally unaware of the risks taken and loss involved. But these medical problems are usually caused by other means. Penile and cervical cancers, urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases have nothing to do with the foreskin itself. The information as to what actually causes these conditions is readily available." (from mothers site, below)

See the video on the Intact website and visit Mothers Against Circumcision. Get educated!

FYI, my 3 boys are not circumcised and doing fine.

I think it is better for hygiene and it diminishes the risk of infections for both partners.

It should be made illegal just like docking the tail off a dog.
There are no more health risks to a man than a woman.

Its easy for men to wash their organs than women because their organs are covered by several folds of skin that are subject to more health problems than men.
If it were a hygiene factor then women should be circumcised as well as they are at a greater risk.

Some countries do this.

I think Christians do it cause Jesus did it or something?

I think it's a good thing. The World Health Organization started advising to have it done a few months ago. They are even starting to bring the idea to African nations that don't do it because they have found that circumcised men have a smaller chance of contracting AIDS.

I agree with it. The risks of acquiring HIV is lower for men that have been circumcised. Also, it is more hygienic.

I had both my boys circumcised. I heard when it comes to feeling (of course in the long run) for men, there isn't much difference. When it comes to hygiene, then circumcision is probably better. The foreskin will need to be pulled back to be washed each time. But make sure that it won't cost extra, my oldest son was born in California, and it is considered "cosmetic" and wasn't able to get it done at the hospital. A week after he was born, I took him to his pediatricians office and it was done there. My youngest on the other hand, was born in a military hospital, they end up doing it within 24 hours.

People keep on trotting out "benefits" but there is no real proof that any of them are true, or worth doing the pre-emptive surgery. The things they supposedly prevent against are often very uncommon and you have a bigger chance of something going wrong with the circumcision.

I don't think it's right to permanently remove a sensitive part of an infant's genitals without their consent. It's their penis.