Preview

Neonatal Circumcision Benefits Essay

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1435 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Neonatal Circumcision Benefits Essay
Neonatal Circumcision: A Benefit to Health? Or Accepted Mutilation?

The procedure of circumcision has been around for thousands of years, indeed the earliest known Egyptian mummies-who lived around 1300 B.C-were circumcised, and there are documented engravings and pictures that show it was commonplace even before that (Dunsmuir et al, 1999). In modern times however, circumcision is still common in many countries, even in countries where there is no religious belief that requires it. It is often carried out shortly after birth with the mother and father being the ones who ultimately give consent for the surgeon to carry out the procedure. This has led to the discussion of the ethics of neonatal circumcision and whether it is immoral to make this decision for the child.

There is often argument concerning the benefits of circumcision, with points for and against both littered with misinformation and assumptions. Often the first statement that is made in such arguments against circumcision is that the procedure results in a loss of sensation in the patient and can lead to a less fulfilling sex life in later years. However from a utilitarian standpoint, this cannot be the case.
Recent studies have shown that there are no recorded differences in sensitivity between circumcised and uncircumcised males (Payne et al, 2007), and there is no
…show more content…
With an immune system that is not yet fully developed, an infection could seriously harm and potentially end the life of a newborn child. A study carried out in 2010 showed that there were approximately 117 neonatal deaths related to circumcision (Bollinger, 2010). As circumcision is a choice of the child’s parents, opposers of the procedure view each of these deaths is as preventable, and taking away the choice of the parents and giving it to the child would help prevent some of these circumcision-related

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Although opposition to female ‘circumcision’ has been articulated throughout the twentieth century, starting with missionaries and colonial administrators, the current resurgence of indignation was ignited in part by activists at conferences honoring the United…

    • 1934 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    In 1965 in Winnipeg, Canada, Janet Reimer gave birth to healthy, identical twin boys, Bruce and Brian. Around the age of 6 months, both boys began having urinary difficulties. They were referred for circumcision at 8 months. The routine procedure went horribly wrong when the boy’s urologist decided to use an electro-cautery needle instead of a typically used scalpel on Bruce. His genital organs were completely destroyed and could not be surgically repaired. The doctors chose not to perform the surgery on his brother, Brian. (shb-info.org/reimer3.html)…

    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lack of understanding of female circumcision (in a social context) has led to it’s becoming a subject of much controversy and debate in political, academic and religious fields, mainly by Westerners and Europeans.…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Don't Wait Vaccinate

    • 1362 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Children begin being vaccinated against harmful diseases at birth. Vaccinations are administered throughout the United States in hospitals, doctor’s offices, and health departments. Vaccinations provide protection to children and adults from many devastating viruses and bacteria. A majority of parents vaccinate their children as recommended but some parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children because they believe them to be harmful. These parents believe that they should be able to choose to have their children vaccinated or not. While vaccines may have some risk, and while vaccines should not be forced upon parents by law, it is still a better idea to vaccinate your child than to choose not to.…

    • 1362 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the main components of what makes Ethan Livingston part of my best sexual experiences can be self-described as “the basics,” which includes the following: endurance, penis girth and length, use of said penis, and physical attractiveness. Endurance, defined by Merriam-Webster as “the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity,” is a key factor in what makes a man a good sexual partner. Because it is more difficult for women to orgasm than men, men must make a considerable effort to prolong their own orgasm in order to satisfy their sexual partner as well. It has also been noted that circumcision has a profound effect on endurance in men when lasting in sex. Because of the skin removal of such a sensitive part of the penis,…

    • 883 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The female partners of circumcised men are less likely to develop cervical cancer, genital herpes, bacterial vaginosis, and chlamydia, some of which can lead to infertility; the chances of acquiring these diseases increase drastically if their partner is unhygienic and uncircumcised. When it comes to intercourse, better sexual function and experience has been recorded with circumcised men, and no reduction in sensation during arousal or in the sensitivity of the flaccid penis has been…

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Circumcision is a common procedure performed on male adults and children across the globe. People get circumcised for various reasons. Many indiv4iduals do it due to religious and traditional beliefs while others are forced to circumcise for medical reasons. Whether you are doing it for religion or medical reasons, the procedure should be handled by the best London circumcision doctor.…

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The author claims that circumcision serves as an economic aspect in our society. Through survey’s, the author found that circumcision…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    A very much heated and touchy talked about debate is whether or not to circumcise our nations young baby boys and the opinions are vast. Circumcision involves the surgical removal of the foreskin of a male (Our Sexuality, Pg 112). Some parents choose to remove the foreskin due to obligatory cultural and religious beliefs. Others argue that it is more hygienic, aesthetic, and will prevent STD’s later in the young boys life. However, this is a very neglectful argument and does not take in an infinite amount of counter arguments. If I were to have a son, I would not choose to have him circumcised due to the pain infants and young boys go through, its comparison to female circumcision, the loss of sensitivity, it being ultimately the boy’s choice,…

    • 1396 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Westernization In Canada

    • 1191 Words
    • 5 Pages

    As the world becomes globalized, countries are trailing behind their cultures and their identity, for them to be cohesive with the Western ideal. The alteration in clothing style, religious beliefs, family roles are few of the examples of the impacts of which Westernization has had on developing countries. With that said, a medical practice common in developing countries such as Uganda, Sudan and Iraq, is female circumcision (Keilburger, 2013). Often linked this practice to Islamic teachings, it is incorrect as in this religion, merely male circumcision is encouraged, proving the fact that this practice roots to generations of cultural beliefs (Keilburger, 2013). “The communities where FGM is practiced explains Dr. Shaw, place high value on virginity, so the custom is seen as protection for young girls from premarital sex”. (Keilburger, 2013: 1) Adding on, developed nations across the world including Canada do not allow for such treatment to be performed on women as it is believed here to be inhumane and child abuse (Keilburger, 2013). Despite scarce records of such mutilation to occur to Canadian women in secrecy, there are laws preventing physicians, doctors and…

    • 1191 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Female Genital Mutilation

    • 1630 Words
    • 7 Pages

    I strongly oppose Female genital mutilation to the fact that it violates two important human rights, namely: the right to have a surgery or not; and the right to keep one’s own gender identity. Another reason why I stand against female genital mutilation is the fact that I think that female genital mutilation is a strong gender issue leaning in favor of traditional men who want to control their many wives while they take turns to sleep with them, since female genital mutilation reduces the urge for women to have sex. Finally, I say no to female genital mutilation because it passes health threats to its victims such as hemorrhages, shock, abscesses, urinary tract infections, HIV, small benign tumors, etc.…

    • 1630 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Making recent provincial and international headlines, the topic of male infant circumcision (herein referred to as MIC), brought up in any forum, is considered by some one of the most controversial debates of the century, with personal views ranging from dead set against it to why wouldn’t you. Many say it is a personal decision, but people are now asking whose decision is it: the boy’s or his parents’? According to a Men’s Health article, MIC became popular in the late 1800s after Lewis Sayre, MD claimed it could cure many diseases including epilepsy and TB; MIC soon became routine after John Harvey Kellogg, MD stated it was a successful remedy for masturbation, considered a major problem in those days.…

    • 4375 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Male Circumcision

    • 485 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Circumcision is our nation’s most practiced procedure, however the procedure itself is becoming more and more controversial as time goes by. Most decisions on whether to perform a circumcision or not is not related to medical facts, but cultural opinions instead. Some religions believe in circumcision while some do not. There are some down sides medically from a person not being circumcised such as urinary track infections and so forth. There are some draw backs to the procedure, but many are not affected by the procedure.…

    • 485 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    American Culture Interview

    • 1273 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Circumcision was an integral part of the stages of life, where there was a transitioning from boyhood to manhood. The ceremony involved a lot of people in the community, those who would attend and give moral support to the candidates scheduled and prepared for the ceremony.…

    • 1273 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Vaccines are an astonishing product that can provide immunity and/or prevention of certain diseases. The first successful vaccination was developed by Edward Jenner,an English Doctor and the father of immunology, in the late 1790s(1). Within the next two centuries, several other successful vaccinations were introduced into the medial field(1). Some vaccines are given to children at birth while others need to be given at other certain ages across a child’s lifespan(1). Some states do allow exemptions to vaccinations due to medical or religious reasons for some parents while other distressed parents seek this exclusion due to safety issues such as how vaccines can lead to disorders, such as autism. Although concerned citizens may say that vaccinations are associated with potential health risks, opting out of these vaccinations can put public health at risk as well as leading to…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics