Genital mutilation in America

I always think your posts are interesting although we frequently disagree. I never even considered the point of Male Circumcision being barbaric.
We give the baby a drop of wine, he cries a bit, it is all over, we eat, and threaten him with the video when he is older. Whats barbaric about that?

Anyway i read your Blogs and they were interesting. Since you tend to present arguments in TH that are lucid and not personal attacks from what I have seen I can'tsee why anyone would ban you.

But that is just me. I wrote a blog about lack of civility. And the guys who think they are on the Right are the worst at it.

Tinsldr2@yahoo.com

I think surgery without anaesthetic, for no medical reason, is barbaric. Would you want for someone to cut a bunch of skin off you with no anaesthetic. Say, someone came up, gave you a shot of whiskey and then cut off your earlobes with scissors, without your consent. Would you say that was no big deal?

Also, it permanently affects sexual function and sensation. Sex is not as good afterward. Complications such as infection and bleeding can be catastrophic, and it can cause the development of fistulas and cysts. There have been cases of botched circumcisions resulting in the complete removal of the peni$.

Is that a big deal?

And, to compound it all, most of the people circumcising their babies aren't even doing it for valid religious reasons! At least Jews have a clear commandment. The New Testament says NOT to circumcise, yet we continue to mutilate our baby boys.

If you're wondering, I looked into all this because I am currently pregnant, and I was explaining to my husband why I would NOT allow this procedure to be performed on a son under any circumstances--I feel it would be neglecting my duty to protect my baby.

But it's a girl, so the arguments have ceased :).

Interesting assertion, that sex is not as good after circumcision.

How does anyone know? That's pure supposition, and propaganda from the fringies who try to grow back their foreskins (LOL).

Frankly... I've never had any complaints!

Circumcision also makes "maintenance" a whole lot easier.

Nah, I don't buy this at all.

Who can say that sex for women is not as good after female circumcision (especially the less 'radical' female circumcision).

Do you not have an issue with electively cutting off parts of another person's body without anaesthetic?

Cutting off a person's earlobes doesn't affect their hearing. So should a parent be allow to have a priest cut them off their infant daughters earlobes with scissors because of a religious belief?

what about removing a pinky finger, or a toe? If we can't prove lifelong harm, can we remove any parts of our children we wish?

Women have their clitorectomies as teenagers who have a point of comparison.

Baby boys have their circumcisions when they're too young to remember anything pre-circumcision.

That's not even apples and oranges; it's apples and seashells.

Maybe we shouldn't cut off the umbilicus and placenta either, using your logic. After all, given time they'll dry up and fall off on their own.

There are many sound medical reasons for performing circumcisions on male babies. I'm not even going to bother going into them here; a simple web search will bring them up for you. There are none for performing clitorectomies.

Maybe is the little girls and little boys had guns their parents would not be mutilating them. Whaddaya think!!!!

Is an old Hebrew Practice. As like other ancient Hebrew Practices, there is a definite medical reason for it: hygiene. Early Christians continued to practice it (esp those in the Eastern Med). But it generally fell out of use after the Fall of Rome.

Circumcision is optional and is no more barbaric (as far as pain goes) than requiring vaccines for newborns and infants (In most cases, the effects of the vaccines linger far longer than circumcision). Hospitials apply a local anesthetic before performing the procedure.

Also, there is no mention in the New Testament prohibiting circumcision. Christ's Disciples continued use of circumcision. Like most non-Catholics, people who cite scripture do so in a vaccum.