The dark underside to the anti-circumcision movement

9/23/09

Look. I have no strong opinions on the subject of circumcision. What individuals decide to do for their families is fine with me either way. As far as the data is concerned, there is a slight health benefit to circumcision and the risks of complication from medical circumcisions in the developed world are quite small and minor. The general medical consensus is that there is a slight medical benefit, but not enough to make it mandatory. But you wouldn't know that listening to the anti-circumcision lobby. Now, why do I even care about this? Well, for 3 reasons actually. First, as a Humanist I like to apply reason and critical thinking to all my decisions. Those skills are beneficial in all areas of your life, not just when considering religion. The 2nd reason is because when I was researching whether or not to circumcise my boy I was stunned by what I found on the anti-circumcision sites. Seriously stunned. Let's just say at this point that these people have "issues." The 3rd and final reason is that these "issue' ridden individuals are trying to pass laws that would put half of the adult population of the United States in jail and put their kids into the foster care system. And no, I am not making this up.

It turns out the anti-circ movement isn't just promoting awareness and education so parents can make better educated decisions. They actually have a fairly extreme legislative agenda that would effectively criminalize 50% of the parents in America. And yes, they do think millions of children should be removed from their homes and their parents killed just because they circumcised their children. And no, I am not making that up either. And no, they don't mean that metaphorically.

As I said, I discovered this weird dark side when I was researching whether to circumcise my boy or not. The American Association Pediatric statement doesn't provide clear guidance, so I decided to look into the issue for myself. Again, I did not have a particular outcome in mind; I just wanted to do the right thing for my son. As a Humanist who believes in critical thinking I am not inclined to oppose something just because religious people also do it. Neither am I going to blindly accept conventional wisdom. I will do my own research and make up my own mind thank you very much.

What I found was that there is a lot of misinformation being disseminated on the anti-circ side and further, that the leaders of the anti-circ movement have "issues." To put it bluntly, I thought that the anti-circumcision movement is filled with men who are really angry with their parents for a variety of reasons. They have come to view their circumcisions as the point of original sin proving just how horrid their parents really were. Further, these people are so upset with their circumcised penises that they have taken to hanging weights on their penises in order to "restore" their foreskin, which is not actually medically possible. This view of the movement as angry men hanging weights on their dicks was strengthened a year later when I ended up in a email exchange with one of these nuts, and again just the other day.

Benefits to Circumcision

It is hard to find reliable unbiased information on the pro-side, but there are some very good sites. The first thing you need to know is that there are some real actual medical benefits to circumcision. These have been proven. Circumcision reduces the risk of most of these problems by a half. These problems are things like urinary tract infection, problems with erections due to tight foreskins, decreased rate of STD infections (a variety of them), and an almost complete elimination of penile cancer. Considering 14% of uncircumcised boys are affected by pediatric or juvenile penile problems, that is a big deal. Only 6% of circumcised boys suffer from these sorts of penile problems.

Now lets compare those benefits to the risks. The risk of complication is low. About 1 in 500 medical circumcisions result in a complication. Most of these are minor and easily treated. Death as a complication is extremely rare. One study showed no deaths from 1951 until the study date 1989. And prior to that, the death rate was 1 in half a million. Again, death from circumcision is extremely rare. This needs to be compared to the death rate from medical problems arising in boys who aren't circumcised. The death rate (based on limited data) for medical problems arising from a lack of circumcision is around 1 in 18,000. In other words, a boy is much more likely to die from a condition arising from being uncircumcised then he is from a circumcision. And while no deaths are acceptable when we are talking about a baby - the risk of death from circumcision has to be weighed against the risk of illness or death from not being circumcised. And honestly, my husband and I were more concerned about the potentially lethal consequences of a possible umbilical cord infection then we were of complications from a medical circumcision.

Please note that this data is for medical circumcision. Religious circumcisions are not always performed properly and there are some real horror stories out there. There is also the problem of botched circumcisions, which can leave the penis mutilated and/or deformed. When this happens, obviously, it causes great pain and trauma to the child. Unfortunately, no one has good statistics for us to know how many are botched so despite it happening, we have no good information on how prevalent or rare this problem is in order to regulate against it. I think most people, however, would assume that the current malpractice laws should be sufficient to regulate these cases without needing to resort to additional legislation.

The Anti-Circumcision Arguments

On the anti-circumcision side is a lot of weirdness. Seriously. I am going to talk about their apparently "rational" arguments before moving on to the weird stuff. Anti-circ movement people will tell you that 100% of circumcisions result in long-term harm both psychological and physical for all boys who experience it. 100%! Obviously, that isn't true. First lets look at the claim that 100% of boys circumcised experience psychological trauma on par with rape or molestation. And yes, that is the claim they make. Not only are there no studies supporting that claim, anyone who knows any man who is circumcised that is happy with his state will attest the fact that this claim can't possibly be true. After all it only takes one guy to not be psychologically traumatized to falsify the claim. And there are millions of men who were circumcised as babies who are not suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder as these people claim. After being confronted by the obvious fact that not everyone who is circumcised is emotionally harmed by the experience these anti-circ guys will move on to their next whopper of a lie. Apparently the millions of men who are happy with their circumcisions just don't know how traumatized they really are. Apparently the trauma is subconscious and can't be measured in any meaningful way. That is why there is no study proving their claim.

The next lie is a little less obvious. According to the anti-circ movement 100% of men who have been circumcised have reduced sensitivity as a result. Again, they have no study to support this claim. They are simply relying on the fact that the majority of men have no basis of comparison to refute this claim. And women have no ability to weigh in on this claim at all. There is however, one population whose opinion in this matter should be taken seriously. And these are the men who were circumcised as adults for a variety of reasons. As they are the only ones who would be able to compare and contrast the difference between being circumcised and uncircumcised, we should probably give their testimony some weight until such time as an actual scientific study is done to compare sensitivity levels. For those of you who haven't researched this particular issue, you may be surprised to learn that these men report that they are actually more sensitive as a result of their circumcision, not less. That's right, the people that actually know, like the feeling of circumcision better. In fact, some are outright effusive. It was actually a testimonial about a partial circumcision that pushed me over the edge to get one for my son. We expect my son to be very very happy when he comes of age.

As for the ancillary claim that 100% of circumcised men experience pain during intercourse as a result of the circumcision, well, that is as easily refuted as the psychological trauma nonsense.

Another unproven claim made by the anti-circ movement is that hundreds of boys die every year from circumcision. There has been no study to support this and when I asked for proof of this claim 2 years ago, the individual in question couldn't even give me a single name or case where a boy had died from circumcision. Now, it is possible that globally some number of boys die every year. But in the developed world, this just isn't true. In fact, based on the actual facts, it is just a bald faced lie. When confronted with this lie they will get mad (never a good sign) and tell you that the problem is that the medical profession is hiding the real statistics labeling circumcision deaths as something else.

To sum up the anti-circumcision movements position: there is apparently a conspiracy amongst all our pediatricians and doctors to kill all our children with an unnecessary procedure that harms every boy it happens to including those with no complications. Men who are happy with their circumcisions are apparently all delusional. Oh, and all medical problems resulting from uncircumcised penises are apparently a result of parents forcibly retracting the foreskin before it is ready. Oh, did I forget to mention that one. Yeah - according to them all problems with uncircumcised penises are the result of stupid parenting. Including apparently urinary tract infections, penile cancer and assorted STDs. So, no, these people don't know what they are talking about and they really hate their parents.

As their final and irrelevant argument, they choose argument by choir. Other people feel like them so their claims must be legitimate. Which doesn't prove anything. What we would need is data on how many men who are circumcised are unhappy that they are. No one has done this study, so we have no way of knowing whether this is common or rare or whether this is just a "grass is always greener on the other side of the fence effect." Again, this excludes men whose penises were mutilated and not just circumcised.

They also argue that 85% of the world's males are uncircumcised and they are all fine. Except that they aren't. Just review the medical stats above. Then realize that just because a lot of people haven't had a procedure doesn't mean they wouldn't benefit from it. This is like saying that just because women used to deliver babies with midwives doesn't mean that women and children haven't benefited from having doctors and c-sections. I am not saying women should be forced into hospital births, but all good midwives work with doctors to ensure the safety of their clients and their babies because c-sections do save lives. The argument about circumcision should be about whether the procedure helps save lives or improves the quality of life. Not how many people have or haven't had the procedure.

Unfortunately, that isn't the whole story

Ok, so what we have is a procedure that does have some real medical benefits, potentially some pleasure benefit and that carries very little risk when done by professionals in a medical setting. So, why all the fuss? And why not just provide the education and leave it to parents to decide? And why are the anti-circ people telling such weird lies to support their side of this debate anyway? Well, this is where the dark underbelly of this movement comes in. If you dare to ask questions or challenge their claims, they get mad. Actually, mad doesn't do these interactions justice. These folks are angry. Really REALLY angry. To say they have issues is putting it politely.

I have had email debates with a few of these folks. All three had similar stories. Basically it all comes down to this. They hate their parents. HATE! For a variety of reasons as it turns out. Religious indoctrination. Abusive parents. Name the complaint they have it. Circumcision is only one of the reasons they list for wanting their parents dead (or are glad they are already dead). And while I don't like to pass judgment, these three individuals were clearly unhappy. Their feelings on this are so strong that one told me that my son will murder me in my sleep one day for having him circumcised (not might, will). Another told me that my son would "sue my ass off." When he would sue me was the question, not if. Not exactly what I would call balanced individuals.

But wait, there's more. These folks are so unhappy with their penises; they attach weights to them to stretch their skin to "restore" their foreskin. And, while these folks think this is a "rational" response to being circumcised. I am going to guess that most people, including me, consider it just plain weird. I was challenged on this assessment. So I checked with my hubby. He agrees. It is weird. In fact, most people will assume (rightly or wrongly) that someone who is so unhappy with their penis that they are attaching weights to it to "restore" their foreskins which can't actually be done, have problems. Problems that most likely go well beyond their issues with their penises. I have no way of knowing if this is true or not, but it certainly is for the three individuals I have exchanged emails with.

The Legislation

My husband asked me why I was bothering to discuss this with these clearly unstable individuals (his words). I told him I would not normally bother, but these folks have a legislative agenda that even my friends who did not circumcise their sons would probably be horrified by. First, they have made it legal for boys to sue both their parents and their pediatricians for circumcising them. Not just in cases of botched circumcisions, which are currently handled via malpractice law, but just because he didn't consent to it. Again, they think this is an excellent development. Most other people who don't have such negative and antagonistic relationships with their family are horrified that these cases even have standing. Fortunately, these activists aren't having much success with this in the courts. In cases of actual botched circumcision they are winning cases, but for uncomplicated circumcisions, the courts just aren't siding with them.

But that isn't stopping them. They are trying to piggyback their cause onto the laws prohibiting Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). When attempting to argue for equal protection by equating circumcision with female castration and infibulation didn't work, they changed tactics. Now, they are trying to amend the state and national FGM laws to include circumcision. You kind of have to read the laws, but basically, any snipping; tucking or anything without consent of the child (no exceptions for religion reasons or for medical reasons - which I have been told by anti-circumcision advocates simply don't exist even though they quite obviously do) would be a crime. When these people tell you they think you should have your children taken away and you put in jail, they aren't speaking metaphorically. They mean it. And they are trying to change the laws to see that it happens. If they succeed in this, they will have successfully criminalized over half of the parents in the United States of America

To Recap

There is a procedure that will halve the likelihood of a boy child suffering from a variety of ailments, some of which can lead to infertility and death. This procedure carries a low risk of complication, the majority of which are very minor. And a small group of people harboring A LOT of anger towards their parents are arguing that we should criminalize this procedure and throw all the parents that give their children this procedure in jail. They have engaged in a misinformation campaign to convince people that this procedure has no value whatsoever, and that it harms 100% of children that have it, even though it clearly doesn't. And we are supposed to go along with them? I think not.

We can effectively deal with the few instances of real harm caused by botched circumcisions in the west through medical malpractice without resorting to new legislation that would effectively criminalize parenthood. We can and should be educating parents about this important decision without resorting to scare tactics and fabrications. And we should be able to discuss the merits and risks of this procedure without resorting to bizarre threats to total strangers. And we definitely should not be allowing people who HATE their parents and hang weights of their dicks to write laws criminalizing all the parents in the country.

Notes:

While I heavily relied on one pro-circ site for this essay - when I was making my own decision I actually visited several circumcisions sites so that I could better understand exactly what the procedure entailed and the different ways circumcisions can be done. Because of the graphic nature of those sites, I am not including the links here. Likewise, I am not including links for anti-circ sites that include graphic information on how to hang weights off your penis. If you really want to see that, look it up for yourself. However there is a blog that promotes Universal Circumcision that I think is worthwhile. http://mandatorycircumcision.blogspot.com/ Mostly because while I am not sure I would be ok with circumcision being required, it is interesting to note that there are a lot of endorsements for universal circumcision because the health benefits actually benefit all of society. The anti-circ side will tell you that it is being outlawed everywhere - EVERYWHERE but the US and the US should follow suit. When the reality is many countries to reduce HIV are doing mass adult circumcisions and making infant circumcision a requirement. So, again, the anti-circ side just isn't telling the truth.