SnarkyCupcake
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 |  Subject: It's time to end inaccurate criticisms of male circumcision  Wed Dec 10, 2014 10:18 pm | |
| - http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-circumcision-20141209-story.html[/mention] wrote:
The recent report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should quell the unfounded arguments that male circumcision is no better than or different from female circumcision, also known as female genital mutilation. According to the draft guidelines released by the CDC, the benefits of male circumcisionclearly outweigh the risks, in the form of reduced risks of urinary tract infection as infants and penile cancer later in life, and lower risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
It’s understandable that circumcision has become controversial. It’s a permanent change made to the body, usually in infancy. (It should be noted that parents make all kinds of decisions that affect their children’s lives permanently; circumcision happens to be a particularly visible one.) At least, foes of circumcision say, the procedure should be delayed until the boy grows old enough to make his own decision. That argument, along with some unsuccessful local efforts to ban circumcision within certain cities, conflicts with the beliefs of Jews and Muslims, whose religions call for male circumcision early in life. There is some evidence that the procedure is easier to recover from when done early in life — but it’s also true that most of the benefits are accrued later in life.
The CDC report won’t end the debate, nor should it necessarily do so. Perhaps its most important short-term good will be to increase the likelihood that the procedure will be covered by health insurance, because circumcision could not be viewed as solely a cosmetic procedure, but rather one that carried health benefits backed by the most current scientific research. That gives parents the option -- either way.
Of course, even religious traditions shouldn’t outweigh health concerns. Just as female genital mutilation is outlawed in this country no matter what the religious beliefs of the parents, if the CDC report had found similar complications with male circumcision, then there should be serious conversations about whether the procedure should be allowed. But that’s not what the science shows; until there is solid evidence to contradict the CDC report, conversations about restricting parents’ ability to make this decision for their sons should end. THOUGHTS? |
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