Norway's Progress Party calls for ban on circumcision for boys
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Re: Norway's Progress Party calls for ban on circumcision for boys
#2I don't understand how parents are allowed to make major, irreversible, cosmetic medical decisions for children on their behalf. I'm not against circumcision, but it should be the choice of someone who is able to consent.
Re: Norway's Progress Party calls for ban on circumcision for boys
#3I don't understand how parents are allowed to make major, irreversible, cosmetic medical decisions for children on their behalf. I'm not against circumcision, but it should be the choice of someone who is able to consent.
Religion always seems to get special benefits.
Re: Norway's Progress Party calls for ban on circumcision for boys
#4I don't understand how parents are allowed to make major, irreversible, cosmetic medical decisions for children on their behalf. I'm not against circumcision, but it should be the choice of someone who is able to consent.
Absolutely. That we tolerate genital mutilation of infants and that many people think it's OK/normal just illustrates how powerful the forces of convention are in swaying our views/beliefs.
Genital mutilation is part of the general trend of subjugating children and depriving them of rights. Just because we've banned child labor in the US does not mean we've gone far enough.
Re: Norway's Progress Party calls for ban on circumcision for boys
#5It's genital mutilation. There's no medical reason [1]. Yes, having a foreskin means you need to clean it regularly (or your caregiver if you're a baby).
And then there are disgusting things like this [2]:
> In a practice that takes place during a ceremony known as the bris, a circumcision practitioner, or mohel, removes the foreskin from the baby's penis, and with his mouth sucks the blood from the incision to cleanse the wound.
[1] Just like anything, there are exceptions. Some people have their foreskin removed because it has an infection or something similar. That shouldn't be applied to all foreskins, and even so, most of that is preventable with good hygiene.
[2] http://abcnews.go.com/Health/baby-dies-herpes-virus-ritual-c...
Re: Norway's Progress Party calls for ban on circumcision for boys
#6This is great. Genital mutilation is a wretched practice and should be abolished everywhere.
Re: Norway's Progress Party calls for ban on circumcision for boys
#7We tried this in San Francisco and it gets dragged into some crazy anti-religious fight. It's about the rights of the baby, not about some religion's outdated beliefs.
Children should be free of mutilation, regardless of their religion.
Re: Norway's Progress Party calls for ban on circumcision for boys
#8It's genital mutilation. There's no medical reason [1]. Yes, having a foreskin means you need to clean it regularly (or your caregiver if you're a baby). And then there are disgusting things like this [2]: > In a practice that takes place during a ceremony known as the bris, a circumcision practitioner, or mohel, removes the foreskin from the baby's penis, and with his mouth sucks the blood from the incision to clean…
I found a big exception to your blanket statements:
There is compelling evidence that male circumcision reduces the risk of heterosexually acquired HIV infection in men by approximately 60%. Three randomized controlled trials have shown that male circumcision provided by well trained health professionals in properly equipped settings is safe. WHO/UNAIDS recommendations emphasize that male circumcision should be considered an efficacious intervention for HIV prevention in countries and regions with heterosexual epidemics, high HIV and low male circumcision prevalence.
Re: Norway's Progress Party calls for ban on circumcision for boys
#9It's genital mutilation. There's no medical reason [1]. Yes, having a foreskin means you need to clean it regularly (or your caregiver if you're a baby). And then there are disgusting things like this [2]: > In a practice that takes place during a ceremony known as the bris, a circumcision practitioner, or mohel, removes the foreskin from the baby's penis, and with his mouth sucks the blood from the incision to clean…
Of course, some reasonable people think that genital mutilation is OK, because being reasonable does not guarantee moral clarity. This is why many reasonable people supported slavery and other abhorrent things.
I can't believe anyone would allow someone to knife off part of their child's genitals (even with anesthesia).
Maybe if the procedure involved branding the Playboy logo into the genitalia (with anesthesia) it would be easier for people to see how barbarous it is.
Re: Norway's Progress Party calls for ban on circumcision for boys
#10It's worth noting that male circumcision in the West is a relatively recent phenomenon, established in the 19th century by quack science and promoted by British and American doctors and industrialists as a way to discourage masturbation in boys.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_male_circumcision