Reversal Of Mutilation

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I'm not sure what part of my post that you're specically addressing. If you mean that Jewish and physician lobbies would be at odds with a social movement working to outlaw involuntary circumcision, you're right. But rather than calling participation in such a movement ineffective, I'd say that it's exactly what one with such an interest should be doing. They've already studied the relevent laws so, it would be more effective to join them than to try to act all by oneself.

What was cultural a century ago is standard practice now will be considered barbarous in another hundred. Unfortunately, at birth there is little that that one can do to stop the actions of others; I do not believe this is something that can be regulated by the government, to be honest. To sensationalize with claims of a Jewish lobby at work in the aim of spreading circumcision to all corners of the earth seems... well, a tad absurd to me.


M.

This is why I'm opposed to involuntary circumcision. That is a decision that should be left to the individual and no body else.

I was specifically addressing the part about outlawing. Paraphrasing myself I said that attacking funding would be MORE effective than criminal legislation. Some state Medicaid and other state programs still subsidize neonatal genital mutilation. I regret that I do not have the direct sources of statistics readily available; but, if you search you will see an inverse correlation between state funding and incidence of newborn circumcision. This pattern holds with the western US and other nations with national health systems. People are more likely to think twice about something they have to pay for. Not to mention rabbis have publically OK'd Medicaid funding changes. However, yes, fraudulent diagnostic codes (i.e. "therapeutic circumcision") for insurance/Medicaid reimbursement will continue. You can join efforts at criminalization, but good luck finding a representative/senator to sponsor the bill. It's been tried for a long time. The greatest strides have been made in Scandinavia where the practice is already almost socially unacceptable.

I hope there is no misunderstanding with what I said. I was simply advising as to what's most effective. Take what I say with a grain of salt. If someone wants to be most effective at taking out wasteful spending they can contact their legislators and/or appropriations when they are in session, especially at budget crisis times such as now. That is the best time to reason with the feds. I speak partly from experience. I have been around for a long time and my sentiment at one time was more like some of you. I think the 2000 presidential election taught many of us, including myself, the consequences of being realistic vs. idealistic.

Reread my post. I did not say that a Jewish lobby is aiming to spread circumcision to all corners of the earth. I was addressing efforts at criminalization, which lobbies will resist.

To change cultural practices will require an impetus of some sort, which I expect will be partly economic as was the case with ending slavery. I have a hard time understanding why someone would order surgery on someone else for social reasons; but, the evidence I've seen suggests social reasons are the biggest driving force behind forced circumcision.

I think they should make invoulantary circumsion illegal because it is wrong to mutatlate the penis or a man has much as it is wrong to mutilate a women.When I have kids I will not cirumcize them if I have any boys.

I know the topic is old, but I saw it and have to say a few things. Over 10 years ago I read negative things about circumcision and also became upset that it had been done to me. The stuff I read about it, being "evil, barbaric, mutilation" made me more and more sad and mad about it. I was scared my wife wouldn't be happy with me because it said women would only be in pain during sex unless I grew it back so I grew it back like it said to. So, I grew it back, it took years to do it but I did it. A few years ago I started to realize that I didn't like it and that it really is a good thing to be circumcised. I heard from so many men that had it done as adults and sex was even better after circumcision. So, a few months ago I had I got circumcised again to get rid of the skin I grew back. There's a lot of people out there that think God is barbaric for telling people to do this, it's not made up, it's what God said to do. I don't want to question God like that, I'm sure He doesn't mind me getting it cut off again. I wish I hadn't ever read those things in the first place. I think having asperger's caused me to believe people so easily, still sometimes but not always, I'm more cautious of people and if they're being honest or if something is realistic. If it was really such a bad thing nobody would be getting it done anymore.

i am very glad my mother had me circumcized, as i viscerally feel that foreskins are not attractive things and are an additional thing to worry about in terms of hygiene. so my pediatrician having taken care of that ahead of time means i have one less thing to worry about as an adult male.
from what i've read, present medical technology is not up to totally restoring the form and function of an intact foreskin, which doesn't bother me but i do understand those who want to have foreskins being upset at this state of affairs.
having to have a circumcision as an adult is a very nasty affair, from what i have observed in the operating room during said operations. i would not want to go through such myself.

I completely agree that circumcision is no longer something that should be done routinely at birth. It was good to do 100 years ago, when people only took a bath once a week. I'm circumcised, and I always wondered what it would have been like to be intact. I have no reason to have needed a circumcision, as I take 1-2 showers a day, and I'm a good hygiene freak. If a boy is born deformed, or the foreskin is going to be a problem as truly believed by the obstetrician, then maybe some should be done at birth to avoid a dreadful experience as a youth, if it came needed then. I know a guy who had to have one as a young man, and he said he'd rather have had his legs burned off in a fire.

With that said, I don't put any energy into being upset about mine, and my wife is fine with me the way I am. She does tell me that past boyfriends who weren't circumcised, were easier to have sex with because they didn't require products such as KY jelly, etc. It's none of my business, but if I had the same strong thoughts as you have about it, I'd look at myself and see if there's maybe something bigger that caused you to feel that way, and that the unwanted circumcision is a way for you to deal with it. I'm not a therapist, and again, I apologize in advance if I'm offending. Just offering an honest thought on this.

I suppose that if you have the money, and if there is a country where it would be allowed, you could find a surgeon who could do a transplant of a foreskin from a donor, much like a kidney (and recently, a hand or a face). That has it's own psychological issues though, since I have a problem thinking about part of another man's genitals attached to mine.

One more thing to say: You're not alone. PLENTY of guys, especially in the last 20 years, are questioning the motives of circumcision. If I ever have a son, I will not opt for any circumcision unless it's medically necessary.

Charles

[quote="kx250rider"]I completely agree that circumcision is no longer something that should be done routinely at birth. It was good to do 100 years ago, when people only took a bath once a week."

The body part in question is almost universal among mammals and to evolve this way for no reason would violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics. A cursory review of the evidence would reveal that routinely at birth was never necessary but rather a cultural institution with secondary spurious medical reasons. In the first half of the 20th Century there was somewhat of a Mendelian pattern of aposthia noted in a medical journal or two, and like their circumcised counterparts those with congenital absence of the prepuce were at greater risk of meatal ulcerations in the first few years.

I T-Taped for like a year because I was cut way too tight (erections were painful). I grew back maybe about an inch. I was gonna grow it all the way back, but I'm not that patient. Lots of guys have though. It's not a hard process. It of course isn't your actual foreskin back. Far less nerve endings and whatnot, but it LOOKS like a normal foreskin for the most part, and it keeps everything covered and regulates sensitivity like a foreskin.

Theirs lots of info about it online. Here is a good place to start. http://www.norm-uk.org/foreskin_restoration.html

Their are forums, howto's, before/after pics, you name it. It costs less than $5 for a roll of medical tape and a weight or bungee. Nothing ventured nothing gained yeah? You're TOTALLY not the first guy to want back what was taken from him. Trust me.