December 3,2024
Infant circumcision is an irreversible decision that a boy may grow up to regret. This is the most compelling argument against parental choice.
How old is old enough to decide? Most intactivists say 18.
Yet the World Health Organization advises that circumcision is simpler than when the procedure is performed on adolescents or adult men "because the penis is less developed and the foreskin is thinner and less vascular. Healing is quicker and complication rates are lower... The procedure ensures that the wound will be healed before sexual activity begins." [1]
Circumcision during infancy provides a number of medical benefits that cannot be obtained if the procedure is delayed until adolescence or adulthood.
Urinary Tract Infections
Studies show that newborn circumcision reduces the risk of a urinary tract infection during the first year of life by up to 90%. [2] Intactivists say that circumcision should be a last resort because UTIs can be treated with antibiotics, as they are for girls. However antibiotics can have harmful side effects. including dizziness, diarrhea, nausea, and rashes. And an increasing number of nightmare UTIs are resistant to antibiotics. Newborn circumcision reduces the need for antibiotics in the first place.
Phimosis
Circumcision prevents phimosis, a condition involving a tight foreskin. Symptoms include discoloration, swelling, soreness, smegma, blood in the urine, pain during urination, and pain during an erection or sexual intercourse. [3]
Penile Cancer
Circumcision has been shown to decrease the risk of penile cancer. Opponents say that circumcision can be delayed until adulthood, but by then it's too late. Studies show that circumcision must be performed during infancy to have an effect on the risk of penile cancer. Opponents also dismiss this benefit because penile cancer is rare; studies show that just 1 in 900 American men would get penile cancer during his lifetime. [4] Unfortunately the low risk is of no comfort to the families of men like Dale Clarke, a British man who was diagnosed with penile cancer in 2017 at age 25. Despite doctors removing his entire penis, Clarke died 10 months later, leaving behind a 6 year-old son and a fiancée who was 7 1/2 month pregnant with his daughter. [5] Had he been circumcised at birth, it's almost certain he would be alive today.
Sexually Transmitted Infections
In 2018 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that "circumcision reduces, but does not prevent, the risk of acquiring HIV and some STIs during penile-vaginal sex." [6] Circumcision opponents will respond that babies don't have sex and therefore don't need protection from STIs. Yet between 2019 and 2021 30% of U.S. high school students reported ever having sex. Although a decline from previous years, this percentage represented a significant number of sexually active underage teens. [7] Thus circumcision reduces the risk of transmission for male (and their partners) before the age when a male could legally consent to surgery.
PUSHBACK - Each of these conditions can be treated or prevented via less invasive methods.
No method - washing genitals, proper condom use, or otherwise - is 100% effective at prevention. Using a combination of methods and includes circumcision is more effective than any one method alone. The Modern Hippocratic Oath states that "prevention is preferable to a cure."
Zipper and bathing suit injuries
Zippers are the most common cause of of penile injuries in America, with approximately 2,000 case reported annually. [8] The number of cases of pediatric penile injuries caused by zippers is unknown. However children are at risk of injuries from bathing suit mesh linings. [9]
Female preference
A Canadian study reported that more women preferred a circumcised partner than an uncircumcised partner for vaginal sex, oral sex, anal sex, and mutual masturbation. The female respondents reported no significant differences between circumcised and uncircumcised penises with respect to vaginal lubrication or pain of vaginal intercourse. [10]
Additional benefits
Delaying the procedure until adolescence or adulthood likely means that the patient would need to take time off from school or work. A patient would need to avoid sexual activities for up to a month. A Jewish boy in an observant community whose parents refuse to circumcise him could be denied participating in certain religious activities, including bar mitzvah and aliyah. Newborn circumcision is covered by Medicaid in most U.S. states and by many private insurers. An adult patient may have to pay $2,000 or more out of pocket for an elective circumcision.
See also:
"He can wait until adulthood and then choose"; CircFacts.org; March 2018
[1] "Manual for early infant male circumcision under local anesthesia", p 4; World Health Organization; 2010
[2] Michael L. Eisenberg et al; "The Relationship Between Neonatal Circumcision, Urinary Tract Infection, and Health"; World Journal of Men's Health; March 22, 2018
[3] "Phimosis" Cleveland Clinic; last reviewed May 29, 2024
[4] Susan Blank, MD et al; "Male Circumcision" - technical report; Pediatrics; August 2012
[5] Andrea Downey; "Dad, 26, dies from penis cancer one month before his fiancee is due to give birth to their baby girl"; The Sun; May 10, 2018
[6] "Information for Providers to Share with Male Patients and Parents Regarding Male Circumcision and the Prevention of HIV Infection, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and other Health Outcomes"; National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (U.S.). Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention; August 22, 2018
[7] Michael J. New; "New CDC Data Shows Continued Declines in Teen Sexual Activity"; National Review; February 15, 2023
[8] Stephen W. Leslie, et al; "Penile zipper and ring injuries"; StatPearls Publishing; September 2020
[9] EC Hoppa; "Bathing suit mesh entrapment: an unusual case of penile injury"; Pediatric Emergency Care; December 2006
[10] Jennifer A Bossio et al; “You either have it or you don’t: The impact of male circumcision status on sexual partners”; Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality; 2015
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