Shock poster or not, this is one of the few issues I am extremely
passionate about, so I am going to jump at the chance to open
some minds.
I AM NOT A DOCTOR. THIS IS NOT MEDICAL ADVICE.
This is my personal opinion and advice based on tons of research
I did when I learned I was going to have a baby boy. Also, to
any Jewish and Muslim people on the board, I do not wish to
denigrate your religious rites and/or rights.
Do you all know why circumcision is so popular in the U.S. and
almost nowhere else in the world? I mean other than the fact
that it gives the doctors a quick way to pocket an extra couple
hundred bucks for a completely unecessary operation...
Circumcision started in America during the masturbation
hysteria of the Victorian Era, when a few American doctors
circumcised boys to punish them for masturbating. Victorian
doctors knew very well that circumcision desensitizes the penis.
(Obviously it didn't work very well as a deterrent! Boys and
men just learned to spit on their hands and use lotion and
whatnot.)
The foreskin is there for a reason. It's not just some useless
flap of skin. There are millions of nerve endings in the foreskin,
nerves that provide you with pleasure. If it is cut off, not only
do you lose those nerve endings, but also the head of your penis
(the glans) will lose it's protective layer, and it will become
desensitized over time as well.
So if you don't mind sex and masturbation giving you much less
pleasure than it gives you now, it's up to you. Talk to your
doctor about the advantages and disadvantages and the risks
involved and make an informed choice.
If you're having trouble with fungal infections, make sure you
know how to clean yourself correctly. From an article on
nocirc.org:
Wash the outside of the penis with mild soap and warm
water. Rinse. Gently retract the foreskin, rinse the inner fold of
the foreskin and glans with warm water only (no soap on the
mucous membrane), then return the foreskin to the forward
position. Dry the outside of the penis shaft and foreskin.
Soap should never be used on the inner folds of the foreskin or
the glans. Soap destroys the natural bacterial balance,
encouraging an overgrowth of yeast (emphasis mine).
The risks of adult circumcision are the same as the risks of
infant circumcision: hemorrhage, infection, surgical mishap, and
death. Circumcision is also highly traumatic, and can leave
patients with severe discomfort for weeks or even months
following the surgery.
Fortunately, parents are educating themselves more and more
and the rate of circumcision is finally going down in this country.
Now mothball, and all you other lucky guys with an intact penis,
go kiss your mother and thank her for it.
~guttersnipe
<img src=http://www.charm.net/~imp/me/nightmaresig.jpg</
img>
This message was edited by guttersnipe on 8-12-03 @ 12:53 AM