I am still dumbfounded by how ignorant some Doctors are about male circumcision.  On today’s show, one of the guests was a dermatologist, Dr. Jessica Wu.  Dr. Wu’s “medical” opinion on circumcision was that 1. she doesn’t like the look of uncircumcized men, and 2. uncircumcized men have trouble keeping clean.  Nevermind that long before man invented circumcision thousands of years ago, uncircumcized men survived for tens of thousands of years.  Nevermind that the way someone “looks” is subjective and unscientific.  Nevermind that cleanliness is very easy for uncircumcized men.  Nevermind that most men outside the United States are not circumcized and do just fine.

Dr. Wu is obviously uneducated on circumcision.  Some countries, particularly in Africa, have a history of removing parts of the female anatomy.  This practice is widely and rightfully admonished because of the harm it does to women.  But what if it were just for “looks” and “cleanliness”?  Would mothers so readily give up their newborn daughters to have their genitals mutilated?  I don’t find the anus very nice to look at.  Some people have trouble keeping clean back there.  Does that mean that everyone should be surgically altered to use a colostomy bag?

Dr. Masterson, the regular doctor on the show, did bring up a more credible reason for circumcision by citing a study that claims that circumcized men are less likely to spread STDs like HPV.  But wouldn’t it be better to spend the time and money in educating people about abstinence and use of condoms instead of routinely circumcizing newborn boys?  What about the small percentage of boys who were permanently damaged from botched circumcisions? 

Circumcision is a barbaric, unnecessary procedure.  Even men who have too tight foreskins can have their foreskin slit instead of removed completely.  Circumcision is a medical procedure that has for so long been a solution looking for a problem.  Let’s stop butchering our newborn males.

Yeah, I was very shocked after I heard the way Dr. Wu talked about uncircumcised men. It came off as a rude comment and I was not able to take her seriously after that.

circumcission is a personal choice based on many things, and even though you didnt agree with doc Wu, Doesent mean that the doc was not entitled to their opinion. That does not mean that she is uneducated..unless your a rocket scientist ( or some other few careers that require as much or more education) theya re ALOT more educated than you are, BUT I do agree with circumscission, I do not agree in judging other for not wanting it. Thats why its a talk show, to share opinions, thoughts and ideas with other to help them form them and theirs. The doc stating that they have trouble keeping it clean is true, infection is more common in uncircumsized men..the doc wasnt making it up. as for as her not liking the look..thats an opinion and everyone has one..i dont like it either..I also dont like the look of colored hair, makeup, I dont agree with non medically necessary plastic surgery..thats my opinions..and i am entitled :). Though you may not like or agree with them. Have a blessed day =D

hugs

Chrissie

In my opinion Dr. Wu is right. I have had sex with both types of penises. I could not feel any difference. But; uncircumsized is not very attractive. My biggest complaint is that the men with uncircumsized penises did not pull back the excess skin during their showers. Then, they want oral sex. All body parts need to be cleaned!!!!!! ODOR!!!!. And I have heard of men having to be circumsized as adults due to infections, etc…. They will remember this pain, when they don’t as infants.

I just recently watched this program.  I was so looking forward to watching it to learn more about the topics that were to be discussed.  There was a comment that was made early in the start of the show, that made it hard for me to focus on the rest of the show, as I was upset by a comment by Dr. Wu.  I must say that I was very disappointed to hear Dr. Wu’s comment, stating that she did not like the look of an uncircumcized penis.  I thought this was to be an educational show, not a fashion show.  I believe that she should have kept her personal opinion on that subject to herself.  It was not very professional of her to put it across the way she did.  I’m sure it hit a nerve with men who are not circumcized; possibly making some feel less of themselves, which is not the case at all.  It’s no different than saying, “I don’t like how fat people look”, or “I don’t like the look of tiny feet and short toes”, or anything of a personal nature like that.  It is very disrespectful.  I honestly think nature made us a certain way for a reason.  If in a man’s lifetime, they have problems in that area, then they can choose to have a surgical procedure at that time.  If everything is in fine working order, why mess with what nature gave us.

There are four factors driving circumcision in the US.

1) The ignorance of doctors. They learn nothing about the foreskin in medical school, other than how to cut it off! Their textbooks don’t even show the foreskin, as if that were the natural state of being for the penis. It is not just a flap of skin, but is the main erogenous tissue on the penis. Circumcised men are partially emasculated men.

2)The greed of hospitals and doctors. This is a very common operation in the US. They don’t just get money for the operation itself, but also make money selling the foreskins to research companies, and even cosmetics companies. Maybe that moisturiser you’re wearing has foreskin in it. :P

3)The religious views of the doctors. Jewish and Muslim doctors don’t think men should have foreskins for religious reasons. They can hardly use this as a valid reason for having it done for parents of other faiths however. By grossly exaggerating the potential medical problems of having a foreskin, and ignoring the risks of the operation, they have a ready excuse.

4)Circumcision has become a fetish in the US. Americans think it looks more attractive because that is what they are used to. It has become the “norm.” People therefore defend it for irrational reasons.

Hygiene issues – Wash under the foreskin. Only the child should do this, when it is retractable, never the parent or doctor as they can cause damage and infection. Watch doctors like a hawk when they’re with your children. I would keep my child under 24 hour guard if they were in hospital in the US.

Urinary Tract Infections – They have a slightly elevated risk in the first year of life. The risk reduces after this point. Women get about 5 times as many UTIs as intact boys! Hygiene and antibiotics are the solution, not amputation.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases – Babys aren’t sexually active. There’s a lot of junk science on this, that are little more than propaganda pieces by the pro-circumcision lobby. The US has a high circumcision rate and high STD rate. Whereas the EU has a low circumcision rate and low STD rate. Condoms are the only real preventative measure.

Penile and Cervical cancer – Penile cancer is an incredibly rare cancer. Only 1 in over 100000 men get it! A man is more likely to get breast cancer! Removing the foreskin reduces the risk, but amputating the whole penis would eliminate it. This is illogical reasoning!  Human Papillomavirus(HPV) is found in 70% of cervical cancers and 43% of penile cancers. Two strains of the virus, 16 and 18, are most commonly found. A vaccine is available for these two strains. Gardasil is used to immunise against another strain of HPV causing genital warts. The vaccine against 16 and 18 is given to teenage girls in the UK, but could be given to boys also. Good hygiene is the best defense after the vaccine. Most cases of penile cancer that do occur, affect men with Phimosis. This is a foreskin that is tight and can’t be retracted for cleaning.

Phimosis – Tight foreskin. When a baby is born only 30% of their foreskins are retractable; at 3 years it is 90%; at 17 years it is 99%. This is entirely natural and isn’t a problem until they are sexually active. Neither is ballooning  of the foreskin a problem. Also Smegma is only produced in significant quantities during the most sexually active years.  The correct approach to Phimosis isn’t circumcision. Gentle stretching exercises combined with the use of a topical corticosteroid  cream, to make the skin more pliable, should have the foreskin retractable in about a month or so. In the rare case of that not working, a preputioplasty can be performed. This solves the problem whilst saving the foreskin.

Paraphimosis – A retracted foreskin that is too tight and is cutting off the blood supply to the glans. This can be caused by the foreskin swelling and should be considered serious. If the glans can’t be compressed to bring the foreskin forward, medical help is required. A cream may reduce the swelling to bring the foreskin forward. If not then surgery is required. If possible the foreskin should be retained. Circumcision is not the only option.

In conclusion I would say don’t get your son circumcised. Problems with the foreskin are rare, and generally easily dealt with. There are real dangers to circumcision up to and including death. Over 100 baby boys die every year in the US as a result of circumcision!