Should Child Circumcision Be Allowed?

by SodaHead News Posted 2012/06/28 22:50:47

Related Topics: Circumcision, Germany, Court, harm

2,466 votes
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	Yes	981 votes	40%
	No	1,485 votes	60%

Circumcision has been a religious tradition for many years, but has often been the subject of controversy because of the effect it could potentially have on children. On Tuesday, a German court ruled that child circumcision can be classified as "grievous bodily harm." The issue went to court when a 4-year-old boy began bleeding profusely as the result of a circumcision. Naturally, religious communities that practice circumcision are upset.

The court ruled, "[The] fundamental right of the child to bodily integrity outweighed the fundamental rights of the parents ... The religious freedom of the parents and their right to educate their child would not be unacceptably compromised, if they were obliged to wait until the child could himself decide to be circumcised."

In response, the head of the Central Committee of Jews said the ruling is "an unprecedented and dramatic intervention in the right of religious communities to self-determination ... [an] outrageous and insensitive act. Circumcision of newborn boys is a fixed part of the Jewish religion and has been practiced worldwide for centuries."

+44

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xcheshirecat 2012/06/28 23:19:19

No

+41
religious freedom is about the baby's religion. I don't see how he can have one at that age...

Baby have the right, like any other human, of body integrity
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More polls by SodaHead News

Cubatis... to Kanaka ... 2012/07/06 17:08:10

Yup!

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AndrewPatton 2012/07/01 21:52:48

Yes

+1
Banning child circumcision is a de facto ban on Judaism.

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Cubatis... to AndrewP... 2012/07/01 22:03:20

+3
It's sad that you think that the most important thing in Judaism has anything to do with whether or not you have a penis that looks exactly like what your deity initially gave you.

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carri b... to Cubatis... 2012/07/02 16:21:06

It's sad that you have no idea what Judaism entails but stand as judge of it. The covenant that is made at circumcision is very central to the belief. You can agree with it or not, but even the physicians who are now saying there are few health benefits of circumcision have this to say:

"The Task Force (on circumcision) found the evidence of low incidence, high-morbidity problems not sufficiently compelling to recommend circumcision as a routine procedure for all newborn males. However, the Task Force did recommend making all parents aware of the potential benefits and risks of circumcision and leaving it to the family to decide whether circumcision is in the best interests of their child.…Circumcision falls into that group of procedures that have potential medical benefits and some risks and should be evaluated by each family in the context of their personal beliefs and values as well as their ethnic, cultural, and religious practices. The Task Force respects the role of parents as decision-makers for their newborns and recommends that physicians discuss with parents the potential benefits as well as risks of circumcision so that parents can decide whether circumcision is in the child's best interests.

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Rodrigo... to AndrewP... 2012/07/01 23:24:00

+4
Is your faith so weak that it would not exist if you had not been branded a follower before ever having a chance to choose? If that is so, good riddance to it.

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AndrewP... to Rodrigo... 2012/11/04 02:50:58

I am not a Jew, but rather a Catholic, and I am glad that my parents had me baptized as an infant, not because my faith would be weaker otherwise, but because not baptizing me would have been irresponsible on their part.

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Kadeyen 2012/07/01 21:09:10 (edited)

Yes

+1
You may not agree with it if you had your own choice. But things you may have not thought about, did you know a old man uncut has more issues with hygene? When your not able to clean it causes bacteria which can lead to cysts and other not so nice things. Your four skin also shrinks when getting older to some men making it hard to clean out. Picture a thick ruberband that only fits on your finger. Now tell me how to get it over the head to clean? And by all mean don't get him any erection meds.

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Vee to Kadeyen 2012/07/01 21:19:34

+2
That is not true at all. The foreskin does not shrink. Even if it did, the treatment would be the same as phimosis, steroid creams...

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Dan Seely to Kadeyen 2012/07/02 00:44:59

+5
No, having an intact father, now 82 whose older intact brother , who passed on last year at ninety, and their intact father passed on in 1976 at 86 and his intact father (their intact grandfather died at 96 in 1956) and NONE OF THESE MEN HAD PROBLEMS! So kindly please enlighten me! What you have outlined is sheer rubbish! Many young mutilated men with tight/painful erections because too much tissue was removed would not relish any doses of Viagra that is certain! BTW Ronald Reagan died Intact in his 90's!

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Kadeyen to Dan Seely 2012/07/02 06:35:46

+2
Perhaps you should ask some one who works at a nursing home. I did not say every one. An yet no commets about cysts, why? And do you think if the president had issues involving that problem they would make it public?

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stars c... to Kadeyen 2012/07/02 14:52:24

+1
Perhaps you should ask the 85% of men happily living till old age with their foreskins the world over....

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Vee to Kadeyen 2012/07/02 21:02:38

+3
This is a PURELY American issue. If you work in a nursing home where men are developing these issues it is because the caretakers in the nursing home are not doing their jobs.

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MrSexyP... to Kadeyen 2012/07/02 21:23:56

+3
lmao, a foreskin is just as easy to clean as the female labia. so if having foreskin and being uncut gives u more issues with hygene, then simply having a vagina would give you issues with hygene. ready to cut off your baby girl's vagina lips now? didn't think so.

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Mallory to Kadeyen 2012/07/04 06:56:28

Vaginas have far more bacteria than penises. Foreskin (not four skin, lol) does not shrink. If anything, the skin LOOSES elasticity due to aging. That can be prevented by regularly retracting it.

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Monty to Kadeyen 2013/04/05 11:53:13

exactly

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bt sedlock 2012/07/01 20:13:34

Yes

Isn't only in the Jewish religion that children are circumcisized?

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Vee to bt sedlock 2012/07/01 20:37:56

+1
yes it is. and it does not HAVE to be done in infancy. If a male's father does not have him circumcised in his childhood, according to the Torah, a male should be circumcised as an adult. http://www.jewfaq.org/birth.htm There is also the option of Bris Shalom. www.jewsagainstcircumcision.org Children should never be circumcised. If a child is born to Jewish parents, the parents should do a Bris Shalom or leave the child intact and let him make his own decision in adulthood.

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bt sedlock to Vee 2012/07/01 20:47:49

Hmmm......I didn't know that. Of course I know next to nothing about circumcision.

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Vee to bt sedlock 2012/07/01 20:59:26
Kadeyen to Vee 2012/07/01 21:18:46

+2
Do any of those men that's had it done say if they had a choice they'd rather do it when a baby?

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Vee to Kadeyen 2012/07/01 21:58:24

+2
Considering I don't know a single man who has chosen to be circumcised as an adult, I can't answer that. But they cannot know if they would have preferred it as a baby. When you are circumcised as an infant, the chance of too much skin being removed is much higher than if you are circumcised as an adult. The chance of death from blood loss is much lower. Proper pain management is used. AND they have maintained their right to religious freedom and bodily integrity.

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ScoutLdr to Vee 2012/07/02 10:53:08

+1
"Considering I don't know a single man who has chosen to be circumcised as an adult," what useless, narcissistic throw away line is this. The world is much bigger than who you know.

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Vee to ScoutLdr 2012/07/02 21:03:24

+1
Nice how you ignore the words that came after that. I specifically said that I can't answer that question. get over yourself.

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ScoutLdr to Vee 2012/07/03 08:41:45

No, I didn't disregard " I can't answer that question." , just pointed out how self absorbed what came before it.

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Michael... to Kadeyen 2012/07/01 22:08:14

I would rather it wasn't done to me ever.

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bt sedlock to Kadeyen 2012/07/03 18:45:47

What's the purpose of a circumcission anyway?

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Mallory to bt sedlock 2012/07/04 07:14:51

+1
Circumcision was initially performed in the united states to prevent masterbation as it was frowned upon back in the day. It was performed to reduce pleasure and sensitivity, as some people argue circumcision doesn't alter sensitivity and function (it does) but it still didn't prevent masterbation, of course. Well, the doctors were making their money, so they came up with a reason for infant boys to be routinely circumcised. A new era was taking place, people developed better hygiene, and UTI rates started falling. The doctors claimed it was due to circumcision alone. A hundred years ago a bath wasn't a daily activity. No wonder why they had infections.

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bt sedlock to Mallory 2012/07/07 23:34:31

Thanks for the info, I still masterbate, even at 45.

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Mallory to bt sedlock 2012/07/16 16:58:50

Good for you.

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bt sedlock to Mallory 2012/07/20 23:04:21

Yup, even at 45 I still have a libido; when I see a beautiful and sexy woman pass by me something gets "hard." I really shouldn't be writing all this stuff down. But....

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ms jones to Vee 2012/07/02 02:28:17

No it's actually not just done in the jewish community, nor is it only done for religious reasons! Plus this ruling was done in Germany which may or may not have any bearing in this country. Children have to raised, and taken care of by their parents therefore the decision should be left up to the parents unless the child is already old enough to make that decision. Thats part of the damn problem children are being given to much control and very little instructions these days and society as a whole is paying aa very steep price for all this nonsense of freedom of expression. When a child can pay there own bills and become responsible for themselves then and only then should they have a say in what religious beliefs they will hold and practice, but then they would not be a child, but an adult. Lets stop giving so much power to children and give the power back where it belongs to the parents! Enough already!

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Vee to ms jones 2012/07/02 04:18:53

+4
The person who owns the penis should decide whether or not they want to be circumcised in ADULTHOOD. It is not the parent's right to have medically unnecessary cosmetic surgery performed on the child. It is only done in the Jewish community. Any Muslims or Christians who circumcise are going against their holy books. Discipline has nothing to do with circumcision, you need to get real. And everyone has the right to religious freedom. Sorry but you can try to make your child pretend they believe in your religion but you can never make them actually believe in it. all you will do by trying to force your religious beliefs down someone's throat is make them resent you.

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carri b... to Vee 2012/07/02 16:28:53

The AAP and the AAFP have a much more tolerant and balanced view:

"The Task Force (on circumcision) found the evidence of low incidence, high-morbidity problems not sufficiently compelling to recommend circumcision as a routine procedure for all newborn males. However, the Task Force did recommend making all parents aware of the potential benefits and risks of circumcision and leaving it to the family to decide whether circumcision is in the best interests of their child.…Circumcision falls into that group of procedures that have potential medical benefits and some risks and should be evaluated by each family in the context of their personal beliefs and values as well as their ethnic, cultural, and religious practices. The Task Force respects the role of parents as decision-makers for their newborns and recommends that physicians discuss with parents the potential benefits as well as risks of circumcision so that parents can decide whether circumcision is in the child's best interests."

As someone so gungho for infant rights, I'm sure you are also as adamently against late-term abortion or abortion past the 16 week stage when it's been proved the embryo feels pain.

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Vee to carri b... 2012/07/02 21:04:38
pervias... to Vee 2012/07/09 06:15:36

I,m with you onehundred percent.Children are not a posession to do with as some think.There are laws against human ownership. A parent is supposed to Love their kids not mutilate or abuse them.

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LittleM... to Vee 2012/07/02 16:15:58

Actually it isn't only Jewish people that subscribe to circumcision ftr. I only know a couple of Jewish men, but I know PLENTY of other men who are circumcised that are not of that religion.

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Vee to LittleM... 2012/07/02 21:05:41

This person asked if Judaism was the only religion that mandates circumcision. Judaism is in fact the only religion that mandates circumcision. I am well aware that there are plenty of circumcised men who are of various religions, but those circumcisions were not because of religion.

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pervias... to bt sedlock 2012/07/09 05:53:49

No!

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☥☽✪☾DAW ☽✪☾ 2012/07/01 20:00:43

Yes

+5

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Rodrigo... to ☥☽✪☾DAW... 2012/07/01 23:30:34

+2
If you voted yes, I think you missed the meaning of the picture.

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