Busting Circumcision Culture Myths about Sexual Desirability and Performance

Circumcision cultures develop myths and taboos, and indoctrinate their people to believe that sexual desirability is enhanced by genital cutting.  Enhanced Sexual performance and the ability to be desirable to sex partners are 2 of the circumcision myths that are used in these cultures to persuade mothers and fathers to let their new born babies be circumcised or their girls to have FGM.  Taboos such as sex is better for the man and his partner if circumcised, Your baby boy wont be a desirable sex partner if he;s not circumcised, your daughter won't get married if she's not circumcised.

When you look at the measured statistical facts, you find that men from Intact Cultures are rated the best and most desirable lovers, and American men among the least desirable and worst lovers ("too rough" to describe Americans men undesirability).

Article here: http://www.blisstree.com/2009/09/30/mental-health-well-being/spainish-men-are-the-worlds-best-lovers/

Read here:

Spanish Men Are the World’s Best Lovers 

Have you ever wondered if French men really are better lovers?  Or maybe it’s the Latin man who floats your boat?  Well, a recent survey conducted by OnePoll.com quizzed a group of “well-traveled” ladies to rate men according to location, giving reasons for their preferences or dislikes for each region.
How did Americans rate? Not so great. They are #5 on the Worst list.
Canadian men did a bit better, they showed up as #10 on the Best list.
Where do the best lovers reside?  Spain.
The Daily Mail Online gives the results for the Worst list, including the reason the locals there are lacking…

World’s Worst Lovers
1. Germany – too smelly
2. England – too lazy
3. Sweden – too quick
4. Holland – too dominating
5. America – too rough
6. Greece  – too lovey-dovey
7. Wales – too selfish
8. Scotland – too loud
9. Turkey – too sweaty
10.Russia – too hairy
I don’t know how scientific this poll is. Do you think American men are too rough? It probably depends on the man.
Here’s the good list….
World’s Best Lovers
1. Spain
2. Brazil
3. Italy
4. France
5. Ireland
6. South Africa
7. Australia
8. New Zealand
9. Denmark
10.Canada
This survey leaves me with many questions. How many women were polled?  How many “hook-ups” were used to determine a result?  And why do the English newspapers have so many more interesting stories than the Americans?

Read more: http://www.blisstree.com/2009/09/30/mental-health-well-being/spainish-men-are-the-worlds-best-lovers/#ixzz3rzCz8dpw

Binga Men Refuse Circumcision and have lowest HIV rate but listen to Officials (A Critique)

This is a report from http://www.southerneye.co.zw/2015/05/21/binga-men-resist-circumcision/ but listen to the way Officials interpret the obvious that condoms, behaviour and education is more effective than circumcision:  My comments in bold italics

BINGA men are resisting voluntary male circumcision with no one having been circumcised between January and March, according to statistics provided by the National Aids Council (NAC).
BY BATANAI MUTASA
This was revealed on Monday during a Matabeleland North NAC provincial stakeholders’ meeting in Bulawayo.
According to NAC statistics, while no one was circumcised in Binga between January and March, Bubi, Hwange, Tsholotsho, Umguza, Lupane and Nkayi recorded a combined total of 2 359 operations.
Lupane and Nkayi districts had the highest number of volunteers with 1 131 and 535 cases respectively.
NAC Matabeleland North monitoring and evaluation officer Mthokozisi Moyo attributed the resistance in Binga to entrenched cultural beliefs which were against circumcision.
“There is need to strategise ways to teach and persuade people in the district to embrace this exercise lest we compromise other efforts to prevent the spread of HIV,” Moyo said.  Listen to the insistence that these men choose circumcision even though the statistics show with condoms, behaviour and education these men have lower hiv infections.
Male circumcision is reputed to reduce female-to-male sexual transmission of HIV by 60%.
Despite shunning male circumcision, Binga recorded a high uptake of male condoms and a huge response to other programmes to curb the HIV pandemic. The area recorded the lowest seropositivity rates in the province.  Now why isn't this highlight, as more effective than circumcision and probably the answer?  What they are not saying is that This shows that circumcised men are getting higher infection rates than men who use condoms!!!!!!
Seropositivity is the state of having blood serum that tests positive for a given pathogen, especially HIV.
Binga recorded the lowest seropositivity rate in pregnant women of 3,3% while Bubi, Lupane, Nkayi, Umguza, Hwange and Tsholotsho recorded rates of 7,8%, 8,4%, 9%, 11% and 13 %, respectively.
The provincial rate dropped from 12% in the fourth quarter 2014 to 8% in the first quarter 2015.
However, Moyo indicated figures could be skewed owing to incomplete reports received from health facilities.  So women in these tribes have lower HIV because their men are choosing condoms, why isn't this highlighted?
Binga had low sexually transmitted infections (STI) in Matabeleland North at 9% after Lupane which accounted for 8% of STI cases in Matabeleland North.   More evidence condoms better than circumcision in reducing STI's.
Hwange recorded the highest STI cases accounting for 37% of all cases in the province.
“In male condom distribution, Binga district accounted for 37% of male condoms distributed followed by Hwange (18%) while Umguza had the least (2%),” Moyo said.
“Hwange had the highest number of sexual abuse cases (36%), followed by Tsholotsho (29%) and the least reported cases were recorded in Lupane (1%), Umguza (0%) and Binga (3%).”  Here we have direct evidence that higher condom distribution is directly correlated to lower HIV, STI's and SExual Abuse.
Although Binga recorded positive figures in the province, stakeholders underlined the need to consolidate the gains.  Again ignoring the fact circumcision wasn't required to achieve positive outcomes, but they continue to want to promote circumcision because that is their mindset, they've bought into the propaganda.
Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting, NAC Matabeleland North co-ordinator Dingaan Dube warned that if voluntary male circumcision was not taken up, the risk of new HIV infections would rise in the long run. Totally ignoring and contradicting the facts, that men who refuse circumcision and use condoms end up with better sexual health, lower HIV and STI's.
“We are concerned. Response figures are high from testing and counselling centres and Binga has a lot of people coming forward,” Dube said.   They're concerned?  Concerned that men who use condoms have lower HIV than men who choose circumcision!  Shows the mindset, blind to the facts.
“But the many people in the fishing camps are from different areas and this could worsen the HIV situation in the district.” Totally illogical and opposite to the facts, and obsessed with circumcision.

Near death incident from neonatal circumcision using plastibell

Very interesting how this adverse circumcision event in America is buried in a Korean Journal, tells you a lot about American Medicine and its attitude toward circumcision

Korean J Pediatr. 2015 Apr;58(4):154-7. doi: 10.3345/kjp.2015.58.4.154. Epub 2015 Apr 22.

Urosepsis and postrenal acute renal failure in a neonate following circumcision with Plastibell device.

Kalyanaraman M¹, McQueen D¹, Sykes J¹, Phatak T¹, Malik F¹, Raghava PS¹.

Author information

• ¹Department of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark, NJ, USA.

Abstract

Plastibell is one of the three most common devices used for neonatal circumcision in the United States, with a complication rate as low as 1.8%. The Plastibell circumcision device is commonly used under local anesthesia for religious circumcision in male neonates, because of cosmetic reasons and ease of use. Occasionally, instead of falling off, the device may get buried under the skin along the shaft of the penis, thereby obstructing the normal flow of urine. Furthermore, the foreskin of neonates is highly vascularized, and hence, hemorrhage and infection are possible when the skin is cut. Necrosis of penile skin, followed by urethral obstruction and renal failure, is a serious surgical mishap requiring immediate corrective surgery and medical attention. We report a case of fulminant urosepsis, acute renal failure, and pyelonephritis in a 4-day-old male neonate secondary to impaction of a Plastibell circumcision device. Immediate medical management was initiated with fluid resuscitation and mechanical ventilation; thereby correcting life threatening complications. Pediatricians and Emergency Department physicians should be cognizant of the complications from Plastibell circumcision device in order to institute appropriate and timely management in neonates.

My Jewish Wife refused circumcision for her 3 sons

My wife is of Jewish ancestry, she is a descendent of Polish Jews of whom most were murdered by the Nazi's in the World War 2 Holocaust.  It is a very sad and painful fact about her family history & Jewish origins. 

Her Mother a jew of 2 jewish parents told her that when she was expecting her first child that circumcision was not required and that it was too painful for the baby.  Her Aunty tried to persuade her to continue the jewish tradition of circumcision.

My wife, did not like the idea of someone taking a knife to her new baby, and the 1970's in Australia was a time the whole nation was turning against circumcision.  She decided that she would not circumcise any of her babies.

My wife now has 3 sons none of whom were circumcised.  All are now men, and grateful for their foreskins, and glad they weren't circumcised.  None have had their own son;s circumcised.

My Jewish wife has 3 intact sons, and 6 intact grandsons.

It is an injurious insult to claim my wife is anti-Semitic

Issues around calling for infant circumcision to be made illegal

There are a number of issues that need to be considered when calling for infant circumcision to be made illegal =

The reasons for such a call in my opinion are as follows:

• It is the only way to immediately protect babies from circumcsion
• It is a great tactic for getting the subject discussed and into public awareness, and one of the few ways the media will cover the negative aspects of circumcision
• A law banning circumcision would be a recognition of the human rights violations that circumcision actually is
• It would give males the same protection under the law as females

The reasons against such a call are as follows:

• The procircs will fight with every last breath to prevent this, including calling on politicians to protect circumcision under the law,
• Motovate governements and their departments within circumcision cultures to through away science and ethics in order to protect circumcion as the CDC and AAP have recently done
• Timing of such a move.  Realistically The timing is too early in circumcision cultures, Education needs to have the greatest priority for years if not decades first and foremost.
• The fightback by religions, and the power they weild, a more softly approach such as  empowering change from within religions through education, resources and support.

Prof David Forbes Chairman of RACP states circumcision increases morbidity and mortality in children

In a recent editorial, Cooper and colleagues recommend increasing infant circumcision to combat increasing rates of heterosexual transmission of HIV infection, and contend that the major obstacle to increasing male circumcision in Australia is a Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) policy. [1]
In September, after a literature review and analysis, the RACP released a revised policy on infant male circumcision, concluding that the frequency of diseases modifiable by circumcision, the level of protection offered by circumcision and the complication rates of circumcision do not warrant routine infant circumcision in Australia and New Zealand. [2] While evidence of HIV prevention by circumcision is strong in high-prevalence settings with predominantly heterosexual transmission, [3] this is not so in low-prevalence environments where homosexual transmission is more important. [4] Evidence of the protective effect of circumcision against other sexually transmitted infections in Australia is limited. [5]
Cooper et al’s comparison of circumcision with vaccines is misleading. Protection against HIV by circumcision is predominantly for males, and the risk for females may increase. [6] There is minimal protection against homosexual acquisition of HIV. [4]
The RACP acknowledges the strong and differing opinions on this topic, ranging from the strong pro-circumcision views of Cooper et al to the equally strong diametrically opposed views of the Royal Dutch Medical Association, which believes that (for reasons of ethics and medical risks) legal prohibition of infant circumcision is warranted. [7]
The RACP recognises the important role of parents in decision making, and recommends that parents contemplating circumcision of their newborn sons be carefully apprised of the risks and benefits. If they elect to proceed with circumcision, the procedure should be undertaken in a safe child-friendly environment, with appropriate analgesia, and by an appropriately trained, competent practitioner who is capable of dealing with complications. We believe that this approach safeguards the social and community interests of children, and offers protection from unnecessary surgical risks. [2]
The RACP does not accept that its policy on circumcision of infant males represents an obstacle to effective public health policy — it believes that, at present, the evidence does not allow a recommendation for widespread infant male circumcision and that Cooper et al have misrepresented this evidence. In the interests of children, and of public health more generally, it is important that this evidence be kept under review and decisions that could lead to increased morbidity and mortality of children only be made when it is clear that the benefits very clearly outweigh any risks.

David A Forbes, Chair, Policy and Advocacy Committee Paediatrics and Child Health Division, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Sydney.
1. Cooper DA, Wodak AD, Morris BJ. The case for boosting infant male circumcision in the face of rising heterosexual transmission of HIV [editorial]. Med J Aust 2010; 193: 318-319.
2. Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Circumcision of infant males. Sydney: RACP, 2010.
3. Siegfried N, Muller M, Deeks JJ, Volmink J. Male circumcision for prevention of heterosexual acquisition of HIV in men. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2009; (2): CD003362.
4. Templeton DJ, Jin F, Mao L, et al. Circumcision and risk of HIV infection in Australian homosexual men. AIDS 2009; 23: 2347-2351.
5. Templeton DJ, Jin F, Prestage GP, et al. Circumcision and risk of sexually transmissible infections in a community-based cohort of HIV-negative homosexual men in Sydney, Australia. J Infect Dis 2009; 200: 1813-1819.
6. Wawer MJ, Makumbi F, Kigozi G, et al. Circumcision in HIV-infected men and its effect on HIV transmission to female partners in Rakai, Uganda: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2009; 374: 229-237.
7. Royal Dutch Medical Association. Non-therapeutic circumcision of male minors. Utrecht: KNMG, 2010.

Danish Researcher explains the function of the foreskin and harms of circumcision

HEARING ON CIRCUMCISION in Danish Parliament on October 22, 2014

Arranged by the Danish Parliament's Cross-Party Network for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Presentation by Morten Frisch, MD, PhD, DSc (Med), Adjunct professor of sexual health epidemiology

Thank you for the invitation. I have placed my ”starters’ kit” on circumcision on every chair and freely accessible on Facebook and Twitter today, such that everyone can get information about the basic health-related and ethical issues related to the circumcision problem. The widespread taboo surrounding the human genitals imply that few people really know what circumcision is all about. Please listen carefully.

During fetal development the male and female genitalia develop from the exact same embryonic structure. Here you see the external genitals of the male (left) and female (right) fetus at around 12 weeks of gestation. At this point in development it is not possible to distinguish between the two sexes. At birth, however, everybody can see the difference.

Please note that all male structures have equivalent female structures. The foreskin covers the penile glans in most boys and men. The foreskin protects the glans. Consequently, the glans of intact men is sensitive, smooth and moist, while the glans of circumcised men is relatively insensitive, uneven and dry. The size of the scar that all circumcised men have depends on the amount of penile skin removed.

The penile glans is exposed during erection, and sexual stimulation occurs when the foreskin moves back and forth over the glans. Only few people know that women also have foreskins known as the clitoral hood. The clitoral hood has the same protective and stimulating functions as the male foreskin. During female sexual arousal the size of the clitoris increases, and the clitoral glans is exposed.

Most women can easily imagine how unpleasant direct stimulation of the clitoral glans will feel in the absence of the clitoral hood. This is the situation for many women after sunna circumcision, and this is the situation for circumcised men. Over time, circumcised men gradually develop a keratinized layer, which results in reduced sensitivity of the glans. The missing foreskin, and the reduced sensitivity of the glans, explain the long-known circumcision-related sexual difficulties, which have been confirmed in recent studies.

The foreskin is not a small, superfluous piece of skin. The foreskin is a complex, double-layered structure rich in sensory nerves. The area of the foreskin is typically between 50 and 90 square centimeters (8-14 square inches), the better part of a dollar note. The foreskin has skin on the external side and an equally large mucous membrane on the interior.

During erection the glans grows in size and pulls with it the mucosal part of the foreskin on its way out. In the picture to the right, you can see that this man’s penile shaft is covered by foreskin from the root of the penis and all the way to the glans. Recalling the slide showing the relatively insensitive, uneven and dry glans, it becomes clear that circumcised men have reduced sensitivity from the root of the penis to the very tip of the glans. This is the future scenario awaiting every circumcised boy.

The Danish National Board of Health’s ”Note on the circumcision of boys” from 2013 is full of errors, inaccuracies, trivializations and serious omissions. From a health professional’s perspective, this “Note” is an embarrassing presentation of the topic, leaving ample room for religious views.

In March 2014, I wrote a harsh commentary in the newspaper Politiken about the National Board of Health’s handling of the circumcision problem. The Board has never proved me wrong in any of the criticisms I have raised. Regrettably, however, the “Note” is often used by ministers and politicians who are too busy to evaluate the matter themselves. From a health professional’s perspective the “Note” is medically substandard and, moreover, entirely unacceptable from a medical ethics perspective.

The “Note” is the central Danish health authority’s recognition that foreskin amputation is acceptable, if the boy is given a little sugar while his body and sexuality is altered for life. European doctors agree that there are no relevant health benefits associated with circumcision of boys. Not one medical association in the whole world recommends circumcision of healthy boys. In contrast, several advocate against circumcision.

Last year, I took the lead in this article together with 37 other professors and consultants in 17 European countries and Canada. We reject the poorly substantiated myths about health benefits gained by circumcision that American pediatricians earn good dollars persuading baby boys’ parents to believe.

Seven minutes do not permit detailed scrutiny of all the complications that may occur. A 2013 study from Rigshospitalet, showed that when the most experienced pediatric surgeons in Denmark perform non-therapeutic circumcision in boys, one in 20 boys will experience a non-trivial complication.

In countries where boys undergo routine circumcision, vast finances are spent on circumcisions and on subsequent operations repairing the consequential damages. In a university hospital in Boston, pediatric surgeons spend 5-7 percent of their operating hours doing circumcision repair operations.
Between 10 and 20 percent of boys circumcised shortly after birth develop narrowing of the urethral opening (meatal stenosis) that requires intervention. Intact boys almost never develop this condition.

All boys experience some level of procedural and postoperative pain. Moreover, they lose sensitivity and are subjected to unnecessary risks. Hemorrhage, infection and meatal stenosis are common, and unpleasant, serious and outright life-threatening conditions may occur – however, fortunately only rarely. Problems can arise with the youngest and older boys – and with adult men and their partners. New studies document that many women can relate to this as well.

According to the Hippocratic oath, doctors are obliged not to cause pain or damage to fellow human beings. This is a good principle that should be extended to everyone, particularly when handling our most vulnerable fellow human beings, our children. However, when it comes to circumcision - whether in boys or girls - this is exactly what the circumciser does. He causes pain and inflicts irreversible, physical damage to the child’s body. An open, painful wound with lifelong consequences that are sometimes serious. This summer, a newborn boy was in a coma in Hvidovre Hospital after a botched circumcision performed by a surgeon in Copenhagen.

Circumcision is not mainly a health issue. Circumcision is first and foremost a human rights issue, a gender equality issue and, lastly, a judicial issue. It is my sincere hope that you politicians will take your responsibility seriously and ensure that future boys will enjoy the same rights to physical, psychological and sexual integrity as those conveyed to Danish girls back in 2003.

Thank you for listening.