Circumcision controversies
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Male circumcision has often been, and remains, the subject of controversy on a number of grounds—including religious, ethical, sexual, and health.
The Ancient Greeks and Romans valued the foreskin and were opposed to circumcision—an opposition inherited by the canon and secular legal systems of the Christian West that lasted at least through to the Middle Ages, according to Hodges. Traditional Judaism and Islam have advocated male circumcision as a religious obligation.
The ethics of circumcision are controversial. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the primary justification for circumcision was to prevent masturbation, which was believed to cause a wide range of medical problems. In contrast, opponents, particularly of infant circumcision, often question its effectiveness in preventing disease, and object to subjecting newborn boys, without their consent, to a procedure they consider to have debatable benefits, significant risks and a potentially negative impact on general health and later sexual enjoyment.
See also
- Circumcision
- Ethics of circumcision
- FGM
- Foreskin
- Foreskin Man
- Foreskin restoration
- History of circumcision
- Human genital mutilation
- Human rights
- Intact America
- National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers (NOCIRC)
- Penis
- Reproductive rights
- Ridged band
- Violence against men
- World Wide Day of Genital Autonomy
