Comment & Debate
“In Defense of Circumcision”. New York Times. 17 June 1990 – Mr. Ginzburg states there is no medical justification for this procedure. Surely he has never seen a child with paraphimosis, a very painful condition in which the foreskin cuts off blood supply to the end of the penis, requiring emergency surgery. He may not be aware of the numerous infections and inflammatory diseases involving the foreskin that require circumcision in later life. And he most certainly is not aware that there have been few, if any, cases of cancer of the penis in men circumcised as babies.
Dr. Edgar J. Schoen, MD on Opposing Views 7/2008 – The moist inner surface of the foreskin is both a magnet and a refuge for infectious agents… including HIV… Chalmydia…
Philip G. Klotz. “In Defence of Circumcision”. Canadian Medical Association. 9 Oct. 1966 – “While carcinoma of the penis is rare, one need not see too many cases to realize what a formidable condition it can be. When it is realized that it can be effectively prevented ‘by circumcision, then I believe that all arguments against the operation fall by the wayside. Whether or not the rarity of carcinoma of the cervix.”
Edgar J. Schoen, MD. “It’s Wise to Circumcise: Time to Change Policy”. Kaiser Permanente Medical Center. 6 June 2007 – Since 1999, when the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Task Force on Circumcision published its report,1 new data have accumulated that reinforce the preventive health advantages of newborn circumcision: protection against severe infant urinary tract infection (UTI),2 against penile cancer,3,4 against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection,5 against penile dermatoses (eg, lichen planus and eczema)6—including the mechanism by which the foreskin predisposes to HIV infection7—and against balanoposthitis and phimosis. Observations from Sweden8,9 and from the United States10 indicate a higher prevalence of UTI in uncircumcised male infants than previously reported. Circumcision also improves genital hygiene throughout life, particularly during infancy and old age.
[http://www.opposingviews.com/arguments/circumcision-should-be-routine-is-akin-to-a-safe-surgical-vaccine Dr. Brian Morris. “Circumcision Should Be Routine; is Akin to a Safe Surgical ‘Vaccine’”
Dr. Brian Morris, Professor of Molecular Medical Sciences. “Circumcision Should Be Routine; is Akin to a Safe Surgical ‘Vaccine’”. Opposing Views – Circumcision of males confers a lifetime of medical benefits. If one adds up all of the factors listed below, conservatively, 1 in 3 uncircumcised males will, over their lifetime, develop a condition requiring medical attention. These conditions mean various degrees of suffering and in rare cases death. In contrast, getting circumcised is very safe – risk of an easily-treatable condition is 1 in 500, and of a true complication is 1 in 5,000. Moreover, a successful circumcision is very unlikely to have any long-term adverse consequences.