Circumcision among Americans

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Even so, amputating a healthy part of an infant because other people haven’t taken care of themselves properly is an extreme solution.
 
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Casper said:
how popular is circumcision among American Catholics.
i’m young catholic I come from Poland and I just want to know if US Catholics are also circumcised od not. Do Catholics in the US experience any pressure in this respect? and are you yourself circumcised and your children?
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Most Americans males are circumcised. My sons (ages 17, 13 and 9) are not. I experienced no pressure for medical professionals regarding this decision. I did experience a little bit of pushback from family members. It has been a non-issue in the lives of my children.
 
What, amputation? It is the removal of several specialized structures that have specific functions and that do not grow back.
 
Hello.

In the beginning of the 20th century in the US, some doctors believed it would be more hygienic. When women started giving birth in hospitals instead of at home, the practice became more wide spread.

Also, some theories state that it was introduced as a method to discourage masturbation.

It’s usually not medically necessary.
 
Casper said:
how popular is circumcision among American Catholics.
i’m young catholic I come from Poland and I just want to know if US Catholics are also circumcised od not. Do Catholics in the US experience any pressure in this respect? and are you yourself circumcised and your children?
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I think most Americans still circumcise.

I’m a cradle Catholic, as was my father. We are both circumcised and so is my son.

If I remember correctly, my maternal grandfather who grew up in Puerto Rico is circumcised too (and he’s almost 100).

The argument is circumcision is “healthier” than not because it’s easier to clean. While Catholics don’t do it for religious reasons anymore, many people realize the health benefits (esp for baby boys)

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/circumcision/about/pac-20393550

God Bless
 
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Poor soldiers.

I wonder about that because it becomes a more difficult procedure as an adult.
 
Amputation can definitely refer to things that are not limbs. See: Traumatic amputation of the ear.

Whatever the case, it is definitely the removal of healthy and functional structures because other people didn’t take care of themselves. That is an extreme solution.
 
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Yes, I know that in Europe circumcision is not common.

According to Healthline, circumcision is common in the United States, parts of African & the Middle East, but not so in Europe.

www.healthline.com

Circumcision: Preparation, Procedure, and Pros and Cons

Circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin of the penis. It’s common in the United States and parts of Africa and the Middle East but less common in Europe and some countries. It is typically done on newborns for personal or religious reasons. Learn about this procedure and its pros...
www.healthline.com www.healthline.com
 
I think everyone stops short, and that’s the point. If there are other ways of accomplishing the goal without permanently removing part of a baby we should probably not permanently remove part of a baby.

In fact, I can’t think of one other situation where we would even consider such a drastic measure. If a doctor said removing our outer ears would reduce ear infections (and could prove it) we still wouldn’t remove the ears of newborns.
 
Well, all I can say is that I’m glad I’m circumcised. It’s makes cleaning simple. I don’t have to worry about “hard to reach” places and I don’t have to worry about my son either.

While I’m not going to force anyone to circumcise, I would not support an effort to stop it either.

As FYI, here is a chart from the US govt with estimates of circumisions around the world

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Estimation of country-specific and global prevalence of male circumcision

Male circumcision (MC) status and genital infection risk are interlinked and MC is now part of HIV prevention programs worldwide. Current MC prevalence is not known for all countries globally. Our aim was to provide estimates for country-specific and ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
 
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Well I’m glad you are satisfied and I pray that your son agrees with the decision you made for him. I do not envy your conversation if he doesn’t.

I however, am not satisfied. Something important was taken from me without my consent and I can never get it back. I will not circumcise my sons. Maybe they will disagree, but if they do then unlike me they will actually have the ability to do something about it.
 
It wasn’t just the United States.

It was the English speaking world (minus Ireland). It was made popular by the Royal family during the time of Queen Victoria. It became a thing in the UK, English speaking Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc. And for some reason, also the United States.

Why the United States followed the Royal family, I’m not really sure.

Today, the majority of the English speaking world has rejected it. But apparently, US doctors bought into the idea that the benefits outweighed the negatives during the time of Queen Victoria and they still do today.
 
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Phemie said:
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phil19034:
Well, all I can say is that I’m glad I’m circumcised. It’s makes cleaning simple. I don’t have to worry about “hard to reach” places and I don’t have to worry about my son either.
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Hard to reach places?? It’s right in front of you, well withing arm’s reach…unless you’re a tyrannosaurus rex.

🤣 🤣 🤣
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Hey, I have fat fingers 😆
 
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Kellogg and unsanitary conditions in the two world wars. Oh and once American doctors became unfamiliar with foreskin they started giving really bad cleaning advice that led to parents traumatically injuring their kids. This injury was then blamed on the foreskin, not the bad advice.
 
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Inquiry said:
Kellogg and unsanitary conditions in the two world wars. Oh and once American doctors became unfamiliar with foreskin they started giving really bad cleaning advice that led to parents traumatically injuring their kids. This injury was then blamed on the foreskin, not the bad advice.
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🤔

If this was the only reason, today’s doctors would say so. The point is, American doctors think there is a benefit that outweighs the negatives. (Not enough to push for people to do it, but enough to acknowledge the benefits.)
 
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That was an explanation for how it became prevalent not what is going on now.

Also the standard for amputation and other permanent reductions of bodily integrity is not more harm than good. The standard is necessity to treat existing conditions.

Cutting off a piece of someone before there is even a problem is extreme.
 
Inquiry said:
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Inquiry:
Fewer. The circumcision rate among infant boys in America has dropped to around half. Which is good, because it is better not to make irrevocable changes to an infant if you don’t have to.
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I worked in personnel. The chance of a performance of an adult circumcision (which sometimes is medically prudent), when the pain and inconvenience is considered, should have every parent getting a boy child circumcised at birth.
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It does happen. I knew someone who had to have it done as an adult, and I can tell you, the recovery period was not exactly a day at the beach. Not a lot of fun at all.

I would note that, of course, the baby boy does not know why he is in such pain — he doesn’t even know he has an organ, he doesn’t know what an “organ” is, all he knows is that he is hurting very badly and wants it to stop. No one knows how such early-life trauma could affect him psychologically. If it’s not trauma that has to be administered, I would say don’t administer it. Circumcisions also go wrong. A friend of mine had to have her son re-circumcised. Not sure how that works. I guess all ended well, but that, too, is another trauma on top of the original one. And a baby boy in Canada ended up losing it entirely due to a botched procedure, and some quacks said to raise him as a girl and do the surgical mutatis mutandis. They did this and it caused massive psychological problems for him. Once he became an adult, he had himself restored and was even able to marry. In the end, due to depression and life reverses, he committed suicide.

I would also add that, if a grown man is so unfortunate as to have to have this done, he might consider offering these sufferings as penance for sins of the flesh (assuming he has committed any), or as penance for the poor souls. Just throwing that out there. A man might be able to free a lot of souls from purgatory that way, and that doesn’t have a downside.

Here is a little booklet that helps with this very basic traditional Catholic concept:

https://www.maranathacatholicbks.net/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=400
 
Inquiry said:
Kellogg and unsanitary conditions in the two world wars. Oh and once American doctors became unfamiliar with foreskin they started giving really bad cleaning advice that led to parents traumatically injuring their kids. This injury was then blamed on the foreskin, not the bad advice.
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I experienced bad teaching about this in nursing school and the doctor who delivered our first boy performed a procedure he never should have when we decided not to circumcise. Had much better information & different doctor when the second came along.
 
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