Should we circumcise?
My wife and I are trying to have a baby. One of the biggest concerns we have if it is a boy is circumcision. I am circumcised and my first reaction is to say "Well I wouldn't go back so it is the right choice". But unfortunately there is more to it than that. Circumcision started, in my mind, to remove sexual pleasure from the male because sex was the road to sin and only for reproduction and should not be enjoyed. Many nerves are removed from circumcision and I have heard sex is more pleasurable for males not circumcised, but unfortunately that is hard to know for sure.
Then there is the idea that it is a part of our culture now and completely acceptable. But what is it really other than male genital mutilation? They say that is is healthier, but I have also heard that the data for that claim is inconclusive.
Female circumcision disgust me and yet many cultures practice it. To them it is normal. I am sure that uncircumcised females in those cultures have "ugly" vaginas to them just as a lot of women have told me that an uncircumcised penis is "ugly".
I have seen a circumcision and it is horrifying. I dont know if I should do this to my future son. There is the part of me that thinks it is normal and I should. Then there is the part of me that sees it as another brutal religious act setup by an ancient brutal god to remove our sexuality that we, for some reason, still practice like idiots. Then we go through all this trouble to "prove" it is healthy to mutilate sex organs to justify the insane act.
What are some of your thoughts on this?
Tags: circumcision, mutilation
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ron V on -
Circumcision does not remove sexual pleasure.
For some pros and cons:
http://www.medicinenet.com/circumcision_the_medical_pros_and_cons/a...
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Permalink Reply by Courtney Hammett on -
Technically true, but the act of rubbing against clothing desensitizes the penis by rubbing it raw, which does remove much sexual pleasure, as was the original purpose of circumcision.
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Permalink Reply by Dogly on -
The piece of skin removed is super rich in nerve endings. They will be gone forever. Less sensation. No reasonable debate. Fewer nerves - less sensation.
Sorry to ramp it up but:
Study Links Circumcision to Personality Trait Disorder -- Health ...
www.sott.net/.../235725-Study-Links-Circumcision-to-Personality-Tr...
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Permalink Reply by archaeopteryx on -
Wow - Personality Trait Disorder - that certainly explains a lot about Unseen --
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Permalink Reply by Unseen on -
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Sex/story?id=3436936&page=1#.T8w6U...
You're passing around an urban legend.
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Permalink Reply by Jaret on -
That is an interesting study. Thank you for finding it and posting it. That wraps up that part of the discussion in my mind. I do regret posting my backpacking confession now that it is irrelevant lol. There is however still the argument that there are nerve endings in the foreskin that increase sensitivity for the penis as a whole. That is a harder test since you cannot poke circumcised men's foreskin to test sensitivity.
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Permalink Reply by Rob the Ridiculous on -
Circumcision does not remove sexual pleasure.
Opinions on the matter seem quite diverse, actually. As several people have reasoned from personal experience the foreskin does provide pleasure to men and women. There are quite a few Dutch men that decide to circumcise themselves at a later age in life, and they actually do experience a loss in sensitivity and function. To some this effect is beneficial, to others quite the contrary.
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Permalink Reply by Unseen on
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@Jaret Burkett
I can attest to this problem. Not to give to much Information, but every time I go on long backpacking trips, let's just say there is a lot of rubbing against clothing for days on end and it takes a few days for the guy to heal which I am sure reduces sensitivity. A little foreskin would probably solve the problem completely.
But one of the reasons often given for not circumcising is that circumcising desensitizes the penis, so things may be worse with an uncut johnson. I would suggest a change in underwear to something that holds things in place. So, briefs not boxers.
Oh...you aren't one of those people who doesn't believe in wearing underwear, are you?
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Permalink Reply by Lewal on -
"A little foreskin would probably solve the problem completely."
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