Circumcision Debate

[steve brock]

Hi all. Our HealthGate topic of the week is a debate about circumcision. Is it a minor operation, (endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics) that improves cleanliness and that a baby doesn't feel or an unethical mutilation, with no medical basis, that has long-lasting effects

[kimtab]

I agree Jami.

There is ABSOLUTELY a basis of comparison for FGM and Male circ. Beside the fact that the term Circumcision only descibes clitoridectomy and not infibulation, FGM isn't called Female Circ anymore I believe because we feel a need to put some distance between the procedure our culture condones, and one which we consider barbaric.

Both practices are performed for cultural reasons only. Both practices have been proven to have no medical necessity.

Sure, RIC in this country is generally performed under safe sterile conditions. Would FGM be okay if Doctors Without Borders set up sterile clinics where the populace could bring their daughters to have their privy parts' removed? If clitoridectomy were to start being offered routinely at birth by our nations hospitals would we all start lining up with our newborn daughters? No, we would be appalled and horrified at even the suggestion. Why aren't we appalled and horrified that our sons are subjected to this?

Yes, removal of the privy parts probably does have more sexual consequences than removal of the foreskin. But you can't deny that the foreskin must be sexually sensitive tissue, that merely by virtue of it's location it must have some sort of sexual function. Yes, I have no doubt that that FGM results in many more complications than RIC. But all you have to do is a search on the net for "circumcision complications" to see some very disturbing pictures of what can go wrong with RIC when it does go wrong.

You can't ask the babies of course (well, you can ask- but they ain't gonna answer) but I really feel with a great degree of certainty that if they could make the choice for themselves, there wouldn't be any circumcisions going on at all in this country.

Kim

[Q.]

For the record, while I myself do not agree with the practice of female circumcision in other countries, I also do not believe it is my place to push my western belief or practices on other cultures. Our way is not necessarily the better way.

[Q.]

Originally posted by Russ Dowling

Suzy, I think if you told men to put Peanut Butter on their memberes, Jelly in their hair, and to play the Sousaphone during sex to make it better, they'd break their necks to do it!

Hmmm..let's test this theory.........

[kennedyj]

Me personally I like to decorate myself in whip cream and sprinkle pop rocks over the top of the member. If she accidentally bites then a pop rock will go off.

J

[kennedyj]

Originally posted by wildtime88

This leads to another question for the debate at hand. Is there any difference in sexual satisfaction on the part of females between circ'd and uncirc'd males?

Thats it!!!! I have been searching for so long for a good thesis topic /Grant proposal. I will do a double blind study on sexual satisfaction between circ'd (experimental group #1) vs uncirc'd (experimental group #2) member' and dependant variable (the penetrated lady parts). The field work could be fun. Should clinical trials test both controls on the DV at the same time or at different times

sorry if this offended anyone. I have been ROlling on the floor this whole discussion.-

J

[kennedyj]

Im there!!

[night owl]

[night owl]

oh yesssssssssssssss it is...

[mgthompson]

Yes, I had my son circumcised, and yes, they used anesthetic. He did not seem to be in any discomfort during urination or diaper change & cleansing (in fact, he kind of seemed to be enjoying all of it :) ). The reason I had it done was that I have had 6 male (obviously - duh..) friends who had to have it done because of phimosis or persistent infections. If all I had seen were geri phimosis circs, I'm not sure if it would have swayed me as much, but these were young, healthy guys. They didn't complain of loss of sensation, but they did tell me about some psychological problems r/t the pain of the procedure (i.e. an organ that had always given them pleasure "betrays" them through excruciating pain). Since a newborn has no sexual associations yet, I don't think it would be remembered as such a trauma (my son had jaundice, and I think the 15 zillion blood draws traumatized him much more..)

Disclaimer: Just my personal opinion.. :)

Martina

[Jen S]

I know that they say uncircumised males don't get and increase in UTI's, but I know of people who had to have achild circumsied dur to UTI. I had my son circumcised and I am glad. If you choose not to that is fine, just teach them very good hygiene. Because they can get really nasty.

[RachetRN]

Circumcision and the Cultural Component

I think the AAP did a great job with the new guidelines it established for circumcision procedures. They established the procedure to be "potentially beneficial" (medically speaking). Had the research been less ambiguous and pointed quantitatively to a direct health benefit then this debate would not be such a hot topic. The AAP did put to rest, definitively, the need for analgesia during the operation; should the parents make the choice of circumcision.

However, an area often overlooked in the healthcare setting is the cultural component. As nurses we often feel that the parents do not understand all the pros & cons or that they are "close minded". When in reality the parents already debated the issue and made their decision, based on hundreds of years of cultural or religious factors that the nurse is ignorant of. As nurses it is our duty to educate without bias and as the AAP states, "the procedure is not essential to the child's current well being, parents should determine what is in the best interest of the child. ..., and be provided the opportunity to discuss the decision."

So nursing education of the parents may simply be to allow parents time to go home and think about the seriousness of this life-long decision before they commit to a surgery on their newborn infant.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

check out:

neonatal circumcision: benefits, risks, and family teaching

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

mcn, the american journal of maternal/child nursing

issn 0361-929x

july/august 2001 volume 26, number 4, page 197

author(s)

melissa w. kaufman, maj, phd, cetn

joseph y. clark, ltc, md

candice l. castro, col, md, facs

abstract

neonatal circumcision is a frequently performed elective surgical procedure, and is one of the oldest known surgical procedures. neonatal circumcision may be performed for medical, cultural, or religious reasons. this article provides current information from the literature regarding the risks, benefits, and concerns about neonatal circumcision.

available online @:

http://nursingcenter.rgc2.com/servlet/cc?gkldwxeuyzdhklgyufhhsdjhte7eb