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Human Rights for Everyone: the Importance of Nonconsensual Child Surgeries Here and Now Ryan McAllister, Ph.D.
In the U.S., could there be a surgery that:
1. Is performed almost exclusively on non-consenting minors,
2. Is illegal to perform on girls, but is promoted for boys,
3. Is performed with no or inadequate anesthetic,
4. Has no well-established benefits,
5. Removes a healthy, unique part of an organ,
6. Causes a lifelong loss of function,
7. And is performed over one million times a year?
Yes. That surgery is circumcision. Its significant, detrimental impact on male health and human rights is commonly minimized in our culture. I ask you to consider the following facts:
Circumcision of infants is never medically necessary, according to the merican Medical Association, Council on Scientific Affairs.
Circumcision is not recommended by any national medical organization in the world.
Circumcision has serious risks. These include but are not limited to infection, hemorrhage, scarring, shock, penile disfigurement, penile amputation, and death.
Beyond 100% loss of the function of the foreskin, the rate of surgical complications for this unnecessary procedure is estimated to be 2-10%.
Circumcision confers no proven health benefits. Few studies indicate potential health benefits, and these studies have serious flaws in terms of population selection.
Several large-scale studies show that circumcision increases risks of some infections and disease transmission.
An intact penis is easy to clean and care for.
The circumcision wound requires days to heal and is painful for the child during that time.
Circumcision removes several square inches of functional, healthy tissue. (The equivalent area in an adult would be about 15 square inches, the size of a 3x5 index card.)
Circumcision removes 10,000-20,000 specialized nerve endings.
Removal of this many nerves and this specialized tissue damages the ability to feel sexual pleasure.
Circumcision is associated with increased sexual problems later in life. These can include lack of sensation, chafing, lack of arousal, frustration, and problems due to insufficient lubrication.
Circumcision causes excruciating pain and often sends infants into shock. It involves tearing away and amputating highly sensitive tissue that was physically attached to the head of the penis.
Babies who have been circumcised are significantly more likely to have problems breast-feeding, and they demonstrate heightened pain responses months later.
Circumcision is associated with increased risk for depression.
Female partners of circumcised men may experience less pleasure during intercourse and may be subject to more frequent vaginal tearing and urinary tract infections.
Some Jewish individuals are opting for alternative ceremonies that do not require genital alteration, called "Brit Shalom".
U.S. infant circumcision validates female circumcision here and abroad.
The belief that male circumcision is valuable for hygiene reasons mirrors statements that female circumcision is necessary to keep women "clean" and "acceptable" for their husbands.
There is no hygienic justification for removing healthy tissue in any gender.
There is already a federal law protecting female children from genital cutting, modification, or piercing of any kind. Boys have a constitutional right to the same protection.
Involuntary circumcision violates human rights. Every individual has the right to an intact body, and should not be subjected to body modifications without his/her consent. Infants require special protection because they cannot speak for themselves.
A boy who is not subjected to circumcision will fit in just fine with his peers. Circumcision rates in the U.S. are falling, down from 90% in the 1970s to about 60% today. Internationally, the male circumcision rate is about 15%
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