ENG101

Research Project
Against The Cut: The Division Over Incision

John Locke put it simply Every man has a property in his own person.
This nobody has a right to, but himself.(Harvey)Every single person should
have the right to make decisions regarding his or her own body and that
includes children. As a parent you do not have the right to surgically alter
your childs genitals for your preference. Although male circumcision has
many benefits, it is outdated, barbaric and unnecessary. Non-therapeutic
genital mutilation is unnecessary for proper penile hygiene and is a
significant violation of a childs fundamental human rights.
All across America there is a controversy over circumcision. Some
Americans circumcise their son so he will look like dad or to fit in with
other boys. Should we as a society perform surgery on our childrens
genitals to fit in with their friends or look like their father? A lot of parents
base their decision to surgically alter their son on a supposed decreased risk
of sexually transmitted diseases and urinary tract infections. Decreased STDs
and UTIs, sounds like a logical reason to circumcise until one actually looks
into it. As parents, we should always make informed decisions when it comes
to our children, even if it is uncomfortable, or against the grain.

According to the CDC, circumcision rates across America have been

dropping at a slow yet steady pace since their peak in 1979. The most recent
CDC survey shows 58% of infants in the US were circumcised in 2010.
(Owings)According to the World Health Organization of the 30% of men who
are circumcised, 70% of those men go through with it for the Muslim belief in
circumcision.(Weiss)
Circumcision in America is based on outdated ideas by early 19th
century doctors who were anti-masturbation. These doctors such as Karen
Erickson Paige in her 1978 article The Ritual of Circumcision, believed
circumcision would decrease the polluting practice of self abuse. John
Harvey Kellogg, the leading proponent in this anti-masturbation movement,
advocated circumcision of males and a diet rich in corn flakes to prevent
children from masturbating.(Kellogg) This is the same man who advised
parents to chemically burn their daughters sexual organs with phenol.
(Kellogg) He further advocated that if that doesnt work, cover your childs
genitals in his patented cage, or try electric shock. (Kellogg)
While the outdated practice of circumcision is decreasing in prevalence
all across America, if their is a decreased risk of STDs and UTIs maybe
circumcision isnt so bad after all? Circumcision does not decrease the risk of
STDs according to twenty nine separate studies done by multiple
professionals across the globe. Circumcision offers no added protection for
men, women, or gay men; in some areas circumcision has actually shown to
increase HIV transmission because it promotes risky behavior in some men.

Urinary tract infections are easily avoided by proper care and showering
daily. Its no more complicated than washing behind your ears.
The practice of circumcision is barbaric and uncivilized. Hanny
Lightfoot-Klein a big name in the movement to stop female genital mutilation
says male circumcision is comparable to F.G.M. On page 193 of her book
Prisoners of Ritual: An Odyssey into Female Genital Circumcision in Africa she
states "The reasons given for female circumcision in Africa and for routine
male circumcision in the U.S. are essentially the same. Both falsely tout the
positive health benefits of the procedures. Both promise cleanliness and the
absence of "bad" genital odors, as well as greater attractiveness and
acceptability of the sex organs. The affected individuals in both cultures have
come to view these procedures as something that was done for them and not
to them.". Circumcision dramatically reduces pleasure from sex. The foreskin
contains a large variety of highly specialized nerve receptors. These nerve
receptors are equivelant in sensitivity to the fingertips, lips and mouth.
(Sorrells) (Podner) You might argue that decreased sexual pleasure is a good
thing, because it would mean your less likely to run into premature
ejaculation issues later in life. In Juliette Richters study in 2009, she
discovered that the rate of "reaching orgasm too quickly for at least one
month in the previous year" was 20% higher for circumcised men. This is
because the foreskin is not orgasmic, it just increases overall sexual
pleasure. (Richters)

Circumcision is a violation of basic human rights. The Universal

Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948, which
proclaims that everyone has certain basic rights that supersede local laws,
religious practice and cultural traditions. These rights include the right to life,
liberty and security of person. (Obarr) Does an infant possess the right to
autonomy? Is male circumcision just an outdated tradition? According to
Websters dictionary the definition of mutilation is : to cut up or alter
radically so as to make imperfect and to cut off or permanently destroy a
limb or essential part of. Mutilation is never okay whether it is done to male
or female, genitals, fingers, toes, ears etc. Male circumcision is unethical and
harmful to children. If you have the courage, I dare you to watch a video of
circumcision. Will you have the courage to stand up for the countless number
of children going through this? You will get odd looks. Most people are too
close-minded to listen. Take a stand, and dont be afraid to stand out.

twenty nine studys; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8082965 ;

http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/HIV/auvert1/ ;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19115756 ;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17558336 ;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17690577 ;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19616720
;http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0015552 ;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21973253 ;

http://www.webmedcentral.com/article_view/2206 ;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22897699 ;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17885299 ;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19901865 ;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20168206 ;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20595141 ;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21934567 ;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23358857 ;
http://web.archive.org/web/20140305234553/http://www.sundaymail.co.zw/in
dex.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29851:circumcised-mennot-spared-from-hiv-infection&catid=37:topstories&Itemid=130#.VNqyLzW3W90 ;
http://malawivoice.com/2012/10/31/circumcised-men-on-sex-spree-theythink-they-are-immune-to-hiv-18495/ ;
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/thecounties/article/2000093293/push-formale-circumcision-in-nyanza-fails-to-reduce-infections ;
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.528780 ;
http://zimbanewsonline.com/circumcised-men-demand-unprotected-sex-hivpositive-pregnant-prostitute/ ; http://icirnigeria.org/circumcision-tattooingfuel-spread-of-hepatitis/ ; http://allafrica.com/stories/201409030508.html

Harvey, J. W. "The Second Treatise on Civil Government and A Letter concerning Toleration.
By John Locke. Edited with an Introduction by J. W. Gough. (Basil Blackwell. Oxford. 1946. Pp.
Xxxix 165. 8s. 6d. Net.)." Philosophy 23.85 (1948): 178. Web.
Owings, Maria, Sayeedha Uddin, and Sonja Williams. "Circumcision 2013." Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 22 Aug. 2013. Web. 15 Feb.
2015.
Weiss, Helen, Jonny Polonsky, Robert Bailey, Catherine Hankins, Daniel Halperin, and George
Schmid. "Male Circumcision: Global Trends and Determinants of Prevalence, Safety and
Acceptability." WHO. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.
Kellog, John H. "Treatment for Self Abuse and Its Effects." Plain Fact for Old and Young.
Burlington: Segner &, 1888. 295. Print.
Kellogg, John H Plain facts for young and old: Embracing the natural history of hygiene and
organic life, 2nd edition, Burlington (Iowa), 1888, facsimile reprint (New York: Arno, 1974)
Sorrells, ML, and JL Snyder. "Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information.
U.S. National Library of Medicine, 4 Apr. 2007. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
Richters, Juliet. "Circumcision in Australia: Prevalence and Effects on Sexual Health."
Circumcision in Australia: Prevalence and Effects on Sexual Health. International Journal of
STD and AIDS, 12 Sept. 2005. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.
O'Barr, William M. "Is Infant Circumcision a Violation of Human Rights?" The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 Aug. 2012. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.