Men Speak out:

This page is devoted to the statements of men who have discovered the harm that was done to them through circumcision.

Table of Contents

 

from: EGustav435@aol.com

Consent Form for Genital non-Mutilation

I /we __________________demand that __________________ NOT be circumcised.

I / we have been informed of the following:

  1. The procedure is child abuse.
  2. The operation is amputation.
  3. The child may or may not receive anesthesia.
  4. The child is physically restrained against his / her will and may display his / her natural reaction to being violated.
  5. The child will suffer severe physical and emotional trauma and may go into shock as a result of this amputation.
  6. The child is rendered permanently sexually dysfunctional.
  7. The child may have emotional bonding and other social problems related to this amputation.
  8. The child's skin may be sold.
  9. The child is at a greater risk of urinary infections and sexually transmitted diseases.
  10. The child has legal rights that I / we are waiving for him / her.
  11. The child may have a cause of action against us /me and the medical profession and or religious group(s) I / we have appointed.
  12. The child could loose the remaining sex organ due to infections or other complications as a result of this amputation.
  13. I / we agree that I / we are taking full moral and legal responsibilities connected with this amputation.

    ___________________parent / legal guardian
    ___________________parent / legal guardian
    ____________________attending Physician
    ____________________Nurse
    _____________________Anesthetist
    ____________________person performing amputation
    ____________________Hospital Director
    ____________________Hospital Legal Counsel
    _____________________witness
    _____________________interpreter

 

Letter from a Medical Student

From: "Phil Nguyen"

My fellow Medical! students,

I want to forward a letter to you from Dr. George Denniston of Washington University, who is the founder of the organization called Doctors Opposing Circumcision, of which I am a member. Circumcision is THE MOST common surgery in America - it is performed by OB/Gyns, pediatricians, family practitioners, surgeons, and urologists. Because of this fact,you would think that medical school would teach something about its anatomy, histology, and function. But I recall learning basically nothing about the foreskin.

 

Dear Medical Student,
Doctors Opposing Circumcision is offering you an opportunity which many practicing physicians wish had been available to them before they became embroiled in the tragedy of circumcision. We have created a brief Foreskin Curriculum at our website, where you can learn and then decide for yourself whether or not you wish to participate in this practice of removing normal tissue from infants, and children. We ask you to visit our website. We suggest, as practicing physicians, that it may save you much grief.

http://weber.u.washington.edu/~gcd/DOC

After you have visited, we would appreciate hearing from you with any comments you may have. Send email to gcd@u.washington.edu.

Thank you.

George C Denniston MD President, D.O.C.

Please check out this very informative website and make the decision for yourself about circumcision. You will come to realize that the foreskin is not just a loose piece of skin, but it definitely has a purpose and function in sexuality and in everyday living. If you would like to know briefly about the heated debates concerning circumcision today, keep on reading.

ISSUES for PHYSICIANS:

 

  1. Is circumcision really a medical ethics issue? As physicians, we are obligated to protect the rights of our patients, especially of children who have no power to protect themselves. These children have never given us their consent to mutilate their genitals. Circumcision is the cutting of live, well-vascularized, non-diseased tissue. So by definition, it is not surgery, but mutilation. The foreskin is the only part of the body (male or female) that the parents can ask the physician to take off without any medical reasons. What if a Somalian parent came to you and asked you to circumcise their pre-pubertal daughter (cut away the clitoris, and sow up the vaginal opening just enough to allow menstrual flow to get through)? NO WAY you say? Why is it any different for a newborn baby boy. If a boy is born without a foreskin, he is considered to have a birth defect, and here we go about putting birth defects on all our infant boys.

     

  2. Are there medical benefits to circumcision? In light of the current research, the risks, morbidity, and mortality of circumcision far outweigh any medical benefits. There are as many children that die from sepsis as a complication of circumcision as there are elderly men who die from penile cancer. The rate of penile cancer is about 1 in 100,000 men in the US, which is a circ nation, and is the same rate as countries like Sweden and Norway, which are intact nations. It appears that other factors are involved in penile cancer, and research has shown that the Human Papilloma Virus is involved. This is just one of the medical arguements. You can find much more on the WEB.

     

  3. Is the US the last English speaking nation in the world to still practice circumcision on the majority of their newborn? YES. England, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have all slashed their circumcision rates to around 10% or less in light of the research within the past 30 years. The current US rate is 60%, which is down from over 90% in the early eighties.

     

  4. Is the foreskin just a loose piece of skin that needs to be taken off before it causes any problems? Do you realize that the glans and inner foreskin are mucosa and not "skin?" The foreskin is there to keep the glans moist and sensitive. Imagine if you stuck you tongue out all the time - it would become dry, and eventually begin to keratinize itself so as to protect itself from the elements. Many circumcised men do not realize that they loose over 50% of their sensistivity and sensations when they are circumcised. This figure comes from men who were circumcised as adults, and some have reported a loss of over 80% of their sensitivity. The American circumcision is a very radical circumcision, usually very tight, cutting awaythe frenelum, the most sensitive part of the penis. Thus many men havepainful erections, because they were cut too tight. The circumcision myth perpetuates itself, because circumcised men have no idea what they are missing, and uncircumcised men have no idea how good they have it. Please check out the foreskin curriculum webpage. For over 95% of a man's life, he wants NOTHING in contact of his sensitive glans and inner foreskin. Women do not realize that being circumcised can be very irritating, because clothing can rub against the glans giving it unwanted stimulation. And over the years, the foreskin continues to keratinize and desensitise itself to protect itself against the irritations. The other 5% of the man's life ,when he is sexually active, he wants his glans to be as sensitive as possible. Both situations can be achieved with a foreskin.

     

  5. Do you know that there are thousands of men who are irate at being circumcised at birth against their will, and will go to great lengths including nonsurgical methods and plastic surgery to restore their foreskins? Please do not laugh. This may seem ludicrous to some of you, but think of it in the light of a woman who has lost her breast to breast cancer. By all means, she would want her breasts back if she could, and she would try to restore them with breast reconstructive surgery. No one laughs at her. Why is this any different?! Or say thatyou are an FP and a 16 year old boy comes to your office and wants to know if he can get circumcised so that he will look like all the other boys in the showers. No problem, just refer him to your favorite surgeon. On the other hand,what if a 35 year old man came in and wanted to talk to you about restoring his foreskin, because he felt that his birthright was taken from him without his consent at birth? You would probably laugh and then refer him to your favorite psychiatrist. Do you see the contradiction there? Many of these men have felt betrayed by the medical profession, and have founded their own organizations including including NORM(National Organization of Restoring Men), NOHARMM (National Organizationto Halt the Abuse and Routine Mutilation of Males), and NOCIRC (NationalOrganization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers).

     

  6. This one is for the women. What is the sexual function of the foreskin? Many women complain of discomfort during intercourse with a circumcised partner because of the chafing the glans and corona cause on the vaginal walls. Thus, they often have to add a lubricant. With an intact penis, there is a mechanical gliding mechanism so that you get a sheath within a sheath effect, such as upon withdrawal the glans glides back into theforekin sheath providing pleasure for both the man and the woman. No lubricant need be used. As a woman ages, her natural lubrication also decreases, and many couples resort to having to add lubrication. Not so with an intact penis, the gliding mechanism is still in effect.

    These are just SOME of the arguments. Please E-mail me personally, or checkout any of the circumcision websites of the net for more information.

    Phil Nguyen MS3
    phnguyen@cord.iupui.edu
for more information mail: Aegis webmaster