Religion, Science

AAP: Health Benefits Of Circumcision Outweigh Risks

-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP – the science-based one) has recently published the results of its task force on circumcision. The AAP evaluated the recent evidence and determined that “the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks and that the procedure’s benefits justify access to this procedure for families who choose it.” We have previously discussed the ruling of a German court that parents who circumcise their sons based on religious beliefs are committing child abuse.

The specifics benefits of circumcision include

  • prevention of urinary tract infections,
  • penile cancer, and
  • transmission of some sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

However, the AAP notes that the health benefits are not great enough to warrant routine circumcision.

The AAP notes that the benefits warrant reimbursement via medical insurance policies. We await the Christian conservatives’ outrage, claiming that circumcision, and it accompanying reduction in sexually transmitted diseases, will increase male promiscuity.

The AAP Technical Report recommends that “circumcision should be performed by trained and competent practitioners, by using sterile techniques and effective pain management.” The Task Force notes the problems with finding competent providers.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have found that “twenty years of falling circumcision rates have cost the country $2 billion in preventable medical costs.” Eighteen states have dropped their Medicaid coverage of the procedure.

Those who claim that the uncircumcised penis is natural and hence, better, commit the naturalistic fallacy. The  argument that circumcision violates a “right to bodily integrity” would also apply to any number of surgeries to correct birth defects like fused limbs and the removal of vestigial tails.

While circumcision for health benefits has a rational basis, circumcision to demonstrate a commitment to an imaginary being is not rational.

H/T: David Bernstein (VC), Monya Baker (Nature), The Virginian-Pilot.

143 thoughts on “AAP: Health Benefits Of Circumcision Outweigh Risks”

  3. Do we circumsize dogs, horses, bulls, etc.? Wouldn’t it do good things for them?

    Note, we all should have good hygiene. So do it yourself and don’t go to sleep until you do (after intercourse).

  4. JMQuinn
    1, September 1, 2012 at 11:51 am
    Watch the video at the link and learn something. The foreskin is there for a reason. It has over 20,000 nerve endings where the clitoris has about 8,000. I would like to know the statistics for infant males getting STDs or HIV? Maybe we should remove all teen-aged girls breasts because “some” of them will grow up to have breast cancer?

    I have no problem with whatever an adult male wants to do with his penis once he is 18. His body/His choice. In my state, I can’t tattoo my son until he is 18-years old but I can cut off a part of his anatomy, without his consent, when he is days old. Circumcision can always be done. It can’t be undone.

    http://www.nocirc.org/

    BRAVO….. Good post….. 🙂

  6. “Jews are some of the smartest people in the world. We are 1/3rd of 1% of the population, yet we hold 33% of Nobel prizes. We are smart enough to understand that mutilating a little boys’ penis is not an acceptable practice in modern times.”

    http://www.jewsagainstcircumcision.org/

  7. Darren Smith
    1, September 1, 2012 at 11:36 am
    Jusagurl

    You got it right, a Washingtonian. Watched JP as a child. In fact, on my birthday when I was about 8 or 9 my parents arranged for me to be included on JP’s ICUTV birthday announcements. My present was in the dryer.
    ——————————————-

    Ohhhh That is soooo COOL….

    I NEVER got the birthday announcement…. 🙁

    Still, I watched him most of my childhood….

    Duff McKagan wrote a great article about how JP Patches shaped Seattle….. and the music….

    http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/reverb/2012/07/jp_patches_made_seattle_bands.php

  9. Watch the video at the link and learn something. The foreskin is there for a reason. It has over 20,000 nerve endings where the clitoris has about 8,000. I would like to know the statistics for infant males getting STDs or HIV? Maybe we should remove all teen-aged girls breasts because “some” of them will grow up to have breast cancer?

    I have no problem with whatever an adult male wants to do with his penis once he is 18. His body/His choice. In my state, I can’t tattoo my son until he is 18-years old but I can cut off a part of his anatomy, without his consent, when he is days old. Circumcision can always be done. It can’t be undone.

    http://www.nocirc.org/

  10. idealist707
    1, September 1, 2012 at 11:38 am
    Gurl and others,

    It all began in the desert. OK? And keeping it clean is difficult in a desert. Nature fixed that with the uretha opening into the vulva on a woman. Men were not so lucky.
    No more details for now.

    and this is EXACTLY right…..

    Tho, luckily, the USA is NOT mostly Desert…. 🙂

  13. Gurl and others,

    It all began in the desert. OK? And keeping it clean is difficult in a desert. Nature fixed that with the uretha opening into the vulva on a woman. Men were not so lucky.
    No more details for now.

  14. Jusagurl

    You got it right, a Washingtonian. Watched JP as a child. In fact, on my birthday when I was about 8 or 9 my parents arranged for me to be included on JP’s ICUTV birthday announcements. My present was in the dryer.

  16. Those who claim that the uncircumcised penis is natural and hence, better, commit the naturalistic fallacy. The argument that circumcision violates a “right to bodily integrity” would also apply to any number of surgeries to correct birth defects like fused limbs and the removal of vestigial tails.

    ——————————————————————————–

    EXCEPT….. it is NOT a DEFECT if EVERY BOY is born with one……

    and a number of birth defect surgeries, are done for cosmetic reasons…..

    are you also saying that MOST European men are deformed because they have a foreskin????

  17. @ Frankly, you might be surprised. I’m completely in support of parental choice when it comes to circumcision. I don’t completely trust the American or the European med associations, but I put more faith in the AAP than I do the others generally and based upon what I’ve read about the medical risks and benefits.

    Mainly however, I commented above because I just find it interesting that in America, where circumcision is much more common and socially acceptable, the American docs tend to support it, and in Europe, where it is much less common and socially acceptable, the docs tend to oppose it. Since their both supposedly talking only about the objective, scientific medical pros and cons, they should be in agreement. The fact that they’re not, I attribute to cultural and societal, not scientific, differences. I find that interesting and informative. It makes me think that it’s always a good idea to question whether social and cultural biases are influencing supposedly objective, scientific conclusions.

  19. http://www.jewishjournal.com/health/article/is_there_a_docta_in_the_house_20030905/

    there are a lot of Jewish doctors in the USA…. If you read the article, you will see what I mean….

    Now, you can’t tell me, that this might not have some basis on this study….

    the REST of the world again…. Comes to the OPPOSITE CONCLUSION, than this study does…..

    I am just saying, that one might want to look at all data from around the world, before just buying into this latest study…..

    WHY does the USA come to the opposite conclusion of the REST of the WESTERN WORLD on this subject???????

  20. nick spinelli
    1, September 1, 2012 at 11:06 am
    itchinbaydog, OK, you hate Clint. Fine. But, Hollywood made smoking cool, not just Eastwood.

    Nick…. this is VERY true….

    Ohhh I remember watching I LOVE LUCY….

    and she would walk over to the fireplace….. pull a cigarette out of the cigarette box on the mantle…. and then motion for Ricky to light her cigarette…..

    There was a romance to it….

    YES.. I still smoke to this day….. and yes, I do partially blame OLD Hollywood…..
    THO…. it is my choice to smoke now…

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