The tender tiny flesh-cap is wired with nerves and controversy - Is religion an excuse for “penile reduction”? In the sub-Sahara, is it the best HIV preventative? The sensitive prepuce shrouding the male glans is a battlefield for religious and medical arguments… Big flaps about the floppy tips have erupted in Germany and Africa… Bioethical answers are not clear-cut…
Circumcision is been prominent in international media recently. On June 26, 2012, a district court in Cologne, Germany, startled the world with its pronouncement that:
“[circumcision] for the purpose of religious upbringing constitutes a violation of physical integrity… the child’s body is permanently and irreparably changed… This change conflicts with the child’s interest of later being able to make his own decision on his religious affiliation. [circumcision] inflicts bodily harm and should not be carried out on young boys, but could be practiced on older males who gave consent… even when done properly by a doctor… [circumcision] should be considered bodily harm if it is performed on a boy who is unable to give his own consent.”
The verdict was aimed at a specific case. After a 4-year-old Muslim boy in Cologne was circumcised by a Muslim doctor, he suffered lengthy (but minor) bleeding, and was taken to a hospital. A local prosecutor notified of the incident pressed charges against the circumcising doctor. The initial case was dismissed, but when the prosecutor appealed to a higher court, the decision was reversed; it ruled that the circumcising doctor “physically mistreated another person and injured that person’s health by means of a dangerous instrument.”
The court’s verdict was influenced by Dr. Holm Putzke, an anti-circ scholar from the University of Passau. Putzke applauded the ruling in the Legal Journal, opining, “After all the knee-jerk outrage has subsided, it is to be hoped it will set in motion a discussion about religiously motivated violence against children.”
Prominent newspapers supported the ban. Matthias Reich of FT Deutschland wrote, “The judgement is right… The circumcision of young boys just for religious reasons is a personal injury. Muslims and Jews should decide for themselves - but not before the age of 14.” Die Welt agreed, stating, “the circumcision of Muslim boys is just as heinous as the archaic custom of genital mutilation of little girls. It is an instrument of oppression and should be outlawed.”
Many hospitals across Germany subsequently halted the procedure, even the Jewish Hospital in Berlin, a foreskin-snipping institution for 250 years. The latter announced that changed its circumcision policy out of fear that its doctors could face prosecution; only circumcision of males 14 and older for religious or ethnic reasons would continue.
Circumcision in Judaism (Brit milah) occurs when boys are eight days old; in Islam, boys are slashed (Khitan) when they’re considerably older. Jews regard the operation as a “covenant” with Jehovah, in adherence to a command issued to Abraham. In Islam, texts assert that Muhammed was born without a foreskin, and a primary reason for the penile-decapitation is “cleanliness.” (This rationale is also used to promote Female Genital Mutilation.)
Cologne has 120,000 Muslim out of 4 million nationwide; the majority are from Turkey, which condemned the ruling. Muslim leaders were displeased by the decision. Mohammed Asif Sadiq, a leader at the Kalijah Mosque in Berlin, told BBC that the ruling could lead to, “medical tourism… people with fundamental beliefs will just go to their homelands. I do not want small children who are born in Germany to move to… a third-world country, where laymen who have no medical instruction cut off their foreskins.”
Germany is also home to at least 100,000 Jews, who’ve practiced circumcision for 4,000 years. The Cologne verdict was denounced by an Israeli parliamentary committee, and in a rare display of unity, Jewish and Islamic leaders joined together in protest. Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, head of the Conference of European Rabbis, decried what he viewed as European prejudice against non-Christians. He railed that the “shocking” ruling was “an affront to our basic religious and human rights,” and he claimed the ruling implies, “Jews and Muslims were no longer socially acceptable in Europe.”
The German Medical Association also opposed the ban, due to fears that underground circumcisions would increase the risk of infection. However, the organization warned surgeons to abstain from administering the surgery, until legal boundaries were clearly defined.
Circumcision has been banned before, in classic Greek and Roman eras and in the Soviet Union. The Cologne verdict surprised many incredulous observers though; it was believed the issue would go forever untouched due to German shame regarding the Holocaust.
Initially, the German central government seemed paralyzed by the verdict. Eventually, Chancellor Angela Merkel supported the religious POV, via her spokesperson - Steffen Seibert - who told reporters, “we want Jewish, we want Muslim religious life in Germany. Circumcision carried out in a responsible way must not be subject to prosecution in the country.” Seibert presented no strategy, however, to either obliterate the new law or change it in a higher court.
A Forbes survey discovered that 50% of respondents agreed with the court’s verdict, with 35% opposing and 10% undecided.
What’s my personal opinion? As an atheist, circumcised USA citizen? My POV is that the ruling is valid and long overdue. The Cologne decision protects human rights of the child - religious freedom and freedom from suffering and injury. The ruling also backs up the Hippocratic oath - “Do No Harm” - because the surgery is an unnecessary operation that irretrievably removes a significant amount of sensory tissue. I applaud the Cologne judicial body for their brave stance.
Does the ruling attack “freedom of religion”? Quite the contrary. The ruling doesn’t ban circumcision if you’re an adult male who desires the operation, for religious or any other reasons. Circumcision is only banned on infants and children, where it is seen by the ruling, and by me, as a non-consensual amputation of bodily tissue. The German judges realized that children deserve protection from the scapulas of adults who seek to permanently alter young flesh in a proselytizing operation that suits the parent’s religious desires.
Should society honor religious “traditions”? No. No. NO. I’m not impressed by the ancient lineage of the ritual. Many antiquated sacred ceremonies were violent, but they’ve finally, relievedly, been abandoned, flushed down the toilet of history. Celts burned prisoners of war alive in giant “Wicker Men”, and Aztecs stabbed out and offered still-throbbing hearts on their pyramids. Today, these sacrificial acts are regarded as barbaric. Blades removing the foreskins of small boys deserves inclusion in this same bloody category. Defending circumcision as a “bonding” group identification mark is also foolishly erroneous, because the disfigurement is invisible… except at nudist colonies.
Circumcision - i.e., “penile reduction” - of male children… violates Children’s Rights. The flesh beings to the boy, not to his parents, nor to the religion that he inherited but does not yet understand. To uphold the rights of children, every inch of their flesh must be protected.
Is circumcision too painful for adults? Is it cruel to ask Muslim and Jewish males to wait until maturity? No, of course not. This argument is ridiculous, and it dehumanizing children. Getting your foreskin removed is traumatic at any age. Undergoing the surgery only when one is adult is the only ethical option.
Furthermore, in sub-Saharan Africa, at present, hundreds of thousands of older boys and men are stoically getting “the cut.” Why? Because it is viewed by many as sensible precaution against HIV/AIDS.
Forty-four members of the Zimbabwe Parliament pledged to get circumcised recently, to convince their nation’s males of the necessity. World Health Organization (WHO) research suggests circumcision reduces HIV risk by 60%, and a Tanzania report says a circumcision campaign there reduced HIV from 5.7% to 3.7%.
Kenya seems to be leading the pack in the mass circumcision drive. The East African nation is trying to circumcise 1 million 14-49 years old males by the end of 2013. The Luo tribe is particularly interested - this traditionally uncircumcised group has a 3X higher rate of HIV compared to nearby circumcised tribes.
Why does circumcision reduce HIV? BBC News explains that specific cells in the prepuce are suspected as potential targets for HIV infection. After the operation, skin under the foreskin - on the glans - becomes less sensitive and less likely to bleed, thereby lowering the risk of infection.
Israelis are participating in the African circumcisions. The Jerusalem Post reports that a local squad called “Operation Abraham” has trained 17 teams in the KwaZulu-Natal region of South African, where 33% of the sexually active population is HIV positive, the highest percentile in the world.
What’s my opinion on this Pro-Circumcision wave across Africa? I’m puzzled and confused… Why? Because… circumcision reducing HIV infection by 40-60% … that’s supposed to be impressive? Would you play Russian Roulette with three bullets in the barrels of a six-chambered revolver?
What’s wrong with condoms, anyway? Sure, the latex shield reduces sensitivity, but it still feels good, fa, far better than Death.
Condoms reduce the risk of catching infections by 95-100% - isn’t that the way to go? Are Africans actually choosing half-effective circumcision - hacking their penis tips off - rather than utilizing free or very inexpensive condoms?
Why don’t African men just wear condoms? The answer is expectedly complex. Iva Skoch - a Wanderlust writer for minnpost.com - posted a list of explanations garnered from NGO workers across Africa. The excuses are sad, funny, exasperating, true, familiar, and foreign:
Top 10 reasons why African Men Don’t Use Condoms
1. They aren’t available when one needs them.
2. Condoms cause HIV. Before there were condoms in Africa, there was no HIV. Americans brought AIDS to Africa with condoms.
3. Good Muslims are not supposed to use condoms.
4. If I am paying for sex, I shouldn’t have to use a condom.
5. Only promiscuous people use condoms.
6. Why would I put my seed in plastic?
7. It’s hard to remember to use a condom when one is drunk.
8. One loses an erect when putting on a condom.
9. It’s not natural.
10. They are too small for African men.
Additionally, I sent the question - “Why don’t African men consistently wear condoms?” - to two IEET writers. First to reply was Leo Igwe from Nigeria; here’s segments of his response:
“Many Africans wear condoms even though some complain that they burst in the course of having sex, or that they reduce sexual feeling… Many people are not comfortable carrying condoms around because of the taboo or hypocrisy about sex… The men rushing to be circumcised may still use condoms anyway but feel doubly ‘insured.”
The second writer I queried was Jonathan Dotse, of Ghana. He answered:
“I couldn’t say precisely why some African men prefer not to wear condoms, although I suspect it has a lot to do with the abysmal state of public education in Africa…. I personally find that educated people often take for granted the critical importance of having a decent grasp of the fundamental principles of science, which are not always obvious. Less educated people are generally inclined to distrust information that runs counter-intuitive to their own personal biases, which may be anything as simple as the perception that sex feels better without a condom. I suspect that this is not a problem of health education in particular as much as it’s a problem with public education in general… Additionally, the fact that most African cultures are male-dominated would imply that men generally have the final say in whether or not condoms will be used during sex, and men are well known for their risk-taking tendencies.”
What’s the future of foreskins? Difficult to surmise, since it’s trending in two opposing directions…
What about… Nano-Rubbers, anyone?
Perhaps in the future all genitalia will be protected with a convenient, near-invisible sheath - double-layered around the foreskin - that allows us to keep the germs of our bodies to ourselves, while permitting us to enjoy and pleasure other bodies to the maximum degree.
Notes
South Africa: Barriers to Condom Use - http://allafrica.com/stories/201112010598.html
In South Africa, free condoms are big (but not big enough for some, it seems) - http://www.minnpost.com/global-post/2010/11/south-africa-free-condoms-are-big-not-big-enough-some-it-seems
In Germany, Ruling Over Circumcision Sows Anxiety and Confusion - http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/14/world/europe/in-germany-ruling-over-circumcision-sows-anxiety-and-confusion.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
Germany wants religious circumcision protected - http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/07/13/germany-wants-religious-circumcision-protected/
Germany’s Merkel Pledges To Protect Religious Circumcision - http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/07/13/156738501/germanys-merkel-pledges-to-protect-religious-circumcision
German circumcision ban: Is it a parent’s right to choose? - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18793842
Angela Merkel backs circumcision right after German ruling - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18833145
German circumcision ban unites religions, worries doctors - http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/12/us-germany-circumcision-idUSBRE86B0XF20120712
Germany: Circumcision Ruling Opposed - http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/13/world/europe/germany-circumcision-ruling-opposed.html
Religious Groups Furious Over German Circumcision Ban, Say It Is Prejudiced Against Non-Christians
- http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/362670/20120713/german-circumcision-ban-jews-muslims-christians-religious.htm
German Circumcision Ruling Raises Outcry - http://forward.com/articles/159202/german-circumcision-ruling-raises-outcry/
Male Circumcision A Priority Against HIV - http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/247821.php
Voluntary male circumcision campaign on track - http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/features/popular-features/7396-voluntary-male-circumcision-campaign-on-track
Africa: The Global Fund Should Actively Promote Male Circumcision - http://allafrica.com/stories/201207130100.html
An AIDS-Ravaged Nation Turns To Circumcision - http://www.npr.org/2012/07/05/156197071/an-aids-ravaged-nation-turns-to-circumcision
South Africa: Getting Circumcision Science Right in the Media - http://allafrica.com/stories/201207091426.html
Zimbabwe’s MPs to be circumcised in bid to fight HIV - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18549968
Israelis train Africans to circumcise against AIDS - http://www.jpost.com/Health/Article.aspx?id=275068
The circumcision decision in Germany - http://www.straight.com/article-732016/vancouver/spigot-circumcision-decision-germany-private-jails-canada
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