The CDC Botches Circumcision
Should genital cutting be recommended?
by Norm Cohen
Sometimes we get the wrong answer; always we are left with the wrong question.
Routine circumcision is the wrong question. Not only is it the wrong answer to disease prevention, it is also the wrong question about disease prevention.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a draft in December 2014 of the first federal guidelines on circumcision, claiming that the benefits of the procedure “outweigh the risks,” a position that runs counter to medical advice in many other countries.
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continued:
The CDC suggested that parents of newborn males and all uncircumcised men who are at risk of becoming infected with HIV should receive “comprehensive counseling” on circumcision and even advised similar counseling of sexually active teens who haven’t undergone the procedure.
In response, here are some valid questions to ask:
- Why is circumcision recommended over more effective alternatives?
- Why is the prevalence of HIV infection 2.5 times higher in the United States, where about 75% of sexually active men are already circumcised, than it is in Western Europe, where less than 10% of sexually active men are circumcised?
- Why do 10 African countries have a prevalence of HIV infection that is greater in circumcised men?
Circumcision is the only case in modern medicine where the routine removal of normal tissue is still recommended for disease prevention. The most private and personal organ of a boy’s body is the only target for routine preventative surgery.
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Volunteers are needed now to help us staff information tables at public and professional events throughout Michigan. Training and supplies are provided and expenses covered as needed.
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The response to a risk of disease must be proportional, and routine circumcision is not a proportional response. It is extraordinary to recommend tissue reducing surgery on infants to prevent avoidable, behavior-based diseases that only occur in adults. The infant is subject to immediate risks from the surgery without any immediate benefits.
The CDC admits that circumcision provides no benefit to homosexual men. The men who are at most risk from HIV (homosexuals) have not been found to be protected by circumcision. The men who are targeted by the recommendations are the ones at least risk from HIV (heterosexuals). These men are also the ones most in need of preventing an unwanted pregnancy through the use of a condom.
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NOCIRC of Michigan is the oldest and most active anti-circumcision organization in the state. Since 1994, we have provided handouts, referrals, and presentations to individuals and groups.
Last year we had information tables at 24 events throughout Michigan. We organize peaceful public protests to promote genital integrity. We are building a statewide network of informed individuals committed to spreading our message.
Join us!
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Condoms eliminate the alleged need for circumcision and, unlike circumcision, protect women too. The ethnic group with the highest circumcision rate in the US is African Americans, and this group also has the highest rate of heterosexually transmitted HIV.
The CDC devoted only 119 words out of 18,336 words in the body of its technical report to the effects of circumcision on sexual function and penile sensation. It ignored entirely the functions of the foreskin and why some men find having a foreskin to be beneficial.
The foreskin is the primary sensory tissue of the penis. It has been found on every mammal, both male and female, for the last 65 million years. The foreskin covers and protects the head of the penis. The protective and lubricating effects of having a mobile sheath of living tissue as part of one’s genitals should be self-evident to anyone not circumcised. Circumcision removes the foreskin, alters the appearance and sensation of the penis, and creates a visual and functional deficit that lasts a lifetime.
This article is continued online. Please go to: www.NOCIRCofMI.org/newsletters/2016
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Please donate online to help us educate parents and healthcare providers. A tax-deductible donation of $35 will make you a NOCIRC Informant. Your support is vital to spreading our message in Michigan.
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