Circumcision

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Background information on Circumcision

Circumcision is the removal of some or all of the prepuce (foreskin). The frenulum is often excised at the same time, in a procedure called frenectomy. The word circumcision comes from Latin circum (meaning "around") and caedere (meaning "to cut"). Female circumcision is a term applied to a variety of procedures performed on the female genitalia, of which only one, the removal of the clitoral hood, is comparable to male circumcision. Except where specified, "circumcision" in this article should be taken as "male circumcision."

Reasons for circumcision

Circumcision is performed for religious, cultural, and medical reasons. Elective adult circumcision may also be chosen as a form of body modification, or for aesthetic or other reasons.

Religious and cultural circumcision

Circumcision is a religious practice traditionally required by Judaism, usually performed in a ceremony called a Brit milah or Bris Milah (Hebrew for "Covenant of circumcision"). The ceremony is to be performed on the eighth day after birth of the newborn boy unless health reasons force a delay. A trained professional, called a mohel, performs the ceremony. See also: Circumcision in the Bible.

According to nearly all Muslim religious leaders, circumcision is an important element of Islam. Although circumcision is not mentioned in the Qur'an, it is mentioned in some parts of the Hadith, a set of texts explaining Islamic law that most Muslims view as authoritative. Most Muslims believe that Muhammad was born circumcised. Moreover, Hadiths describe that the ritual of circumcision was started by Abraham, who is seen as the founder of Islam. Muslim custom on circumcision varies. Some Muslim communities perform circumcision on the eighth day of life, as the Jews do, while others perform the rite at a different time. Turkish, Balkan, and Central Asian Muslims typically circumcise boys at between six and eleven years of age, and the event is viewed communally as a joyous occasion and celebrated with sweets and feasting. In contrast, Iranian Muslims are typically circumcised in the hospital at birth without much ado. In Egypt, farmers in rural areas celebrate circumcision as a joyous occasion, while in urban populations, as in many industrialized countries such as the USA, the procedure is routinely performed at a hospital.

Circumcision is also customary in the Coptic Christian and Ethiopian Orthodox religious traditions. It is usually performed on the eighth day of life. This practice was condemned by the Council of Florence [1] in 1442, held by leading theologians of the Roman Catholic Church, which said in part:

Therefore it strictly orders all who glory in the name of Christian, not to practise circumcision either before or after baptism, since whether or not they place their hope in it, it cannot possibly be observed without loss of eternal salvation. [2]

Circumcision is also common in a number of African and Australian Aboriginal religious traditions. Among some West African animist groups, such as the Dogon and Dowayo, it is taken to represent a removal of "feminine" aspects of the male, turning boys into fully masculine males. Among Nilotic peoples, such as the Nandi, circumcision is a rite of passage observed collectively by a number of boys every few years, and boys circumcised at the same time are taken to be members of a single age set. Aboriginal circumcision ceremonies, which also constitute a rite of passage, are noted for their painful nature, including subincision for some tribes.

The United States and South Korea are the only countries that still practice circumcision routinely on a majority of males for non-religious reasons. Routine circumcision practices in South Korea are largely the result of American cultural and military influence following the Korean War.

Medical circumcision

Circumcision may be recommended in cases such as phimosis (a very tight foreskin), balanitis xerotica obliterans or posthitis(an inflamed foreskin). Other treatments exist for phimosis [3] and balanitis [4][5][6], though these are not as successful in the case of balanitis xerotics obliterans [7] [8] [9]. Circumcision may also be advised in cases of recurrent balanitis and urinary tract infections, Zoon's balanitis, and penile cancer.

A recent South African study found that circumcision may reduce the transmission of HIV (the virus that causes AIDS) by 63%[10]. The study was terminated early so that circumcision could be offered to the control group. However, The Lancet, the most prestigious of all British medical journals, declined to publish the report. "At issue, Auvert and Puren told Science, is an ethical disagreement that involves how participants learned their HIV status and the counselling they received." The study was presented to an International AIDS Society conference in Brazil in July 2005. Some fear that if widespread circumcision is touted as an effective way to reduce HIV infection rates, people will develop a false sense of security and be more likely to engage in sexual intercourse without latex condoms, which would still carry significant risk if either partner has HIV or another sexually transmitted disease.

Statistically, uncircumcized men are several times more likely to be carriers of human papilloma virus than circumsized men. HPV is a significant cause of cervical cancer. Circumcized men are less likely to infect their partners. Further, some medical sources believe that being uncircumsized multiplies a man's risk of developing penile cancer.

Recommending circumcision for infants as a preventative measure is controversial. No national medical body recommends routine infant circumcision. Some argue that circumcision is a significant public health measure while others have asserted that there are no net benefits to the procedure, or that the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. Still others discourage the procedure altogether. The American Academy of Pediatrics argues that parents should make an informed decision based upon medical and other benefits and risks, [11]. For a detailed discussion, see medical analysis of circumcision.

Circumcision and body modification

Circumcision may be undertaken voluntarily as a body modification. (See also foreskin restoration).

From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_surgical_procedures

News Articles on Circumcision

Forensics a well-kept tradition at Bethel College  -  05 Apr 2008
KSN-TV,Despite Bethelâ€™s Mennonite heritage, the forensics team is not afraid to tackle just about any topic from passing gas to circumcision.

How Harsh Environments Hurt Women and Men  -  05 Apr 2008
ChristianityToday.com,For the Masai cattle-herder living in Kenya circumcision provides his initiation into the warrior group. He will also be required to prove his herding feats

To help put a stop to female circumcision  -  Apr 1, 2008
Christian Science Monitor,One of these customs is the practice of such rites as female circumcision. While this is a topic many won't even want to think about, more than 3 million

Los Angeles Times Examines Male Circumcision In The US  -  Apr 2, 2008
Medical News Today (press release),The Los Angeles Times on Monday examined male circumcision in the US and factors that some parents consider when deciding whether to have their infant boys

Uganda: Circumcision As a Solution to Aids  -  Mar 31, 2008
AllAfrica.com,After the ministry of health getting convinced that male circumcision would reduce the HIV/Aids prevalence, Government is formulating a policy in which

EGYPT: A battle over female circumcision  -  Mar 30, 2008
Los Angeles Times,Islamists and conservative clerics are fighting proposed legislation in the Egyptian parliament that would criminalize female circumcision and raise the

Adult circumcision: Culture and appearance play a role  -  Mar 28, 2008
Los Angeles Times,..."A small faction of men feel they have been harmed by circumcision," he says. "Some say they lose sensation." Though anecdotally men report otherwise,

Botswana: To Nip Or Not  -  Apr 2, 2008
AllAfrica.com,In recent times, advocacy for circumcision as one of the majors in the fight against HIV and AIDS, has taken root. For a country like Botswana,

Uganda: Government Explains Policy Delay On Medical Male Circumcision  -  Mar 25, 2008
AllAfrica.com,THE government will only come up with a national policy on medical male circumcision as one of the measures to minimise HIV infection after consulting

Uganda: Gov't Drafts Policy On Male Circumcision  -  Mar 25, 2008
AllAfrica.com,..."We are conducting an assessment of medical male circumcision in the districts of Kampala, Kumi, Gulu and Rukungiri. The results will inform us on how

Circumcision 'the unkindest cut of all'  -  Mar 24, 2008
Times Online,The language on both sides of the debate about infant male circumcision is not always temperate. Put together new-born boys, their penises, knives and two

RCCMC, UTSA hold free circumcision programme  -  Mar 31, 2008
Independent-Bangladesh,Rotary Club of Chittagong Mid City(RCCMC) and United Theater For Social Action(UTSA) jointly organized a free circumcision programme with overall

DPH lowers circumcision bill of patient  -  Mar 31, 2008
Saipan Tribune,By Rianne Pangelinan-Brown The Department of Public Health has lowered the hospital bill of the patient who was billed $7901.82 for a circumcision.

Four boys die after circumcision  -  Mar 31, 2008
iAfrica.com,..."These schools were illegal because the department was not involved as we have to grant permits for circumcision." He said the department was required to

Uganda: Isn't Circumcision Barbaric?  -  Mar 24, 2008
AllAfrica.com,I am not talking female editing just in case you are wondering, I am talking about the vice called circumcision of men. Yes, that arrangement Kagame has

Uganda: The Fight Against Female Circumcision  -  Mar 21, 2008
AllAfrica.com,FEMALE circumcision or Female Genital Mutilation is not a subject often heard in the corridors of Uganda's Parliament even if there are at least two

Decree Against Ritual Circumcision Rescinded (2nd century)  -  Mar 29, 2008
Chabad.org,In Talmudic times, Adar 28 used to be celebrated to commemorate the rescinding of a Roman decree against ritual circumcision, Torah study and keeping the

No-Brainer Syndrome: Using the HPV Vaccine and Male Circumcision ...  -  Mar 14, 2008
AlterNet,In the battle against HPV and HIV, are male circumcision and vaccinations the best weapons? Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at The

Delicate decision: To circumcise or not?  -  Mar 28, 2008
Los Angeles Times,Arguments about circumcision often polarize today's parents. The procedure, dating to ancient Egypt, is -- in simple terms -- the removal of the foreskin,

In Kenya, a refuge from female circumcision  -  Mar 12, 2008
Christian Science Monitor,Millicent had her own ideas; she had learned at a recent village workshop about the dangers of female circumcision and early marriage.

â€˜Cut circumcision out of the Aids battleâ€™  -  Mar 10, 2008
The Times,Circumcision is a cultural practice and should not be used as a preventative measure in the fight against HIV-Aids, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang

HIV Prevention Studies Yield Mixed Results  -  Apr 1, 2008
Journal of American Medical Association (subscription),New findings from studies of varying prevention strategies, including male circumcision and the use of antiretroviral drugs to curb HIV transmission during

Africa: Daily HIV/Aids Report  -  Mar 28, 2008
AllAfrica.com,Toronto's Globe and Mail on Thursday examined the efforts of several African governments to provide male circumcision as a way of curbing the spread of HIV.

Finally! A Nearly Foolproof Circumcision.  -  Mar 24, 2008
Discover Magazine,...by Josie Glausiusz The pros and cons of circumcision have fueled a heated debate. Now from the World Health Organization comes evidence that is difficult to

Quick Study  -  Mar 31, 2008
Washington Post,THE QUESTION Does circumcision help protect a man from developing a sexually transmitted disease (STD)? THIS STUDY analyzed data on 499 men;

Circumcision does not protect men from common STDs  -  Mar 21, 2008
News-Medical.net,According to new research, though male circumcision protects men from HIV, it does not protect them against other common sexually transmitted infections

The snip that could save his life  -  Mar 27, 2008
Globe and Mail,He had heard that circumcision could help to protect him, and that's what brought him to the tiny clinic of the Family Life Association of Swaziland.

Male Circumcision Does Not Offer Protection Against Some STIs ...  -  Mar 20, 2008
Kaiser network.org,Although male circumcision has been found to offer men some protection against HIV, the procedure does not protect against other common sexually transmitted

A Compromise on Female â€œCircumcisionâ€?  -  Mar 19, 2008
New York Times Blogs,Dr. Ahmadu, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Chicago, has previously published essays on the practice she calls female circumcision.

Circumcision Does Not Protect Men from STDs: Study  -  Mar 20, 2008
ShortNews.com,A study in New Zealand has shown that circumcision does not protect men from the common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) found in the developed world.

Monitoring ritual circumcision  -  Mar 19, 2008
Citizen,Traditional male circumcision is practiced throughout the country in different cultural groups. Initiates often die from complications and under some

Eritrea: Regional Conference Against Female Genital Mutilation ...  -  Mar 28, 2008
AllAfrica.com,She underlined that despite the fact that Eritrea has issued proclamation against female circumcision and is working diligently to control and prevent the

Youth dies during botched ritual, 2 saved  -  Mar 27, 2008
Independent Online,A 16-year-old youth has died following an illegal circumcision ritual near Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, the provincial health department said on Thursday.

MEDICAL SELF-CARE: ALL ABOUT CIRCUMCISION  -  Mar 10, 2008
Mother Earth News,One of the most ancient of surgical procedures, circumcision is pictured in Egyptian bas-reliefs dating back to 4000 BC Tribal cultures around the world

Circumcision: Are parents cutting out the sign of the covenant?  -  Mar 7, 2008
Dallas Baptist Standard,Recent legal battles over whether parents can mandate circumcision for their children and new medical findings regarding the relative merits and risks of

New health boss an activist in Aids and circumcision fields  -  Mar 12, 2008
The Herald Eastern Cape,Being one of very few female circumcision activists, Chabula-Nxiweni has been slated by some for meddling in a strictly male tradition.

Circumcision Makes History in Odessa, Ukraine  -  Mar 13, 2008
Chabad.org,...made history for being the first time that more than 80 years that a Ukraine mayor hosted a public celebration on occasion of his sonâ€™s circumcision.

Umbrellas and icebergs  -  Mar 31, 2008
Saipan Tribune,We learned the other day that a person purportedly quoted $300 for a medical procedure (circumcision) was later charged almost $8000 for the job.

Circumcision During First-Term Holidays  -  Mar 11, 2008
Bru Direct,Parents or guardians who wish to acquire these services for their children can directly contact the officer-in-charge at the Circumcision Unit by calling

Jamaat leader held as child dies at his clinic  -  Apr 1, 2008
The Daily Star,Child's mother Nargis Begum said clinic owner Dr Abdul Hamid, who examined her son, told her that khatna (circumcision) would be required to cure Naimul.

NHARCON recommends male circumcision for prevention of HIV infection  -  Mar 7, 2008
Accra Daily Mail,A three-day second National HIV and AIDS Research Conference (NHARCON), which ended in Accra on Wednesday, recommended that Male Circumcision (MC) be

Nineteen initiates rescued in the Eastern Cape  -  Apr 1, 2008
Mail & Guardian Online,We have to grant permits for circumcision." The department was required to grant permits for each boy to be circumcised, after he had undergone medical

Texas Baptist Forum  -  Mar 28, 2008
Dallas Baptist Standard,You quite properly report that a large minority of American parents have decided to avoid nontherapeutic circumcision of their newborn sons (March 17).

Re "Trustee off course" (Letter, March 28) -  -  Apr 2, 2008
Peterborough Examiner,Do I need to even mention nations where female circumcision is considered acceptable? Instead of Mr. Gilchrist attending an English-as-a-second-language

Ugandan Vice President Bukenya Calls for Research on Country's HIV ...  -  Mar 31, 2008
Kaiser network.org,Coutinho added that Uganda participated in a study that found male circumcision reduced the risk of HIV by 60% among men but has not implemented policy

Mwanza study confirms cost-effectiveness of STI management in HIV ...  -  Mar 31, 2008
Africa Science News Service,Notably, the prevalence of male circumcision was lower and the prevalence of herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) was higher in the cities with higher HIV

Uganda: Who Will Save Bugisu Coop Union?  -  Mar 27, 2008
AllAfrica.com,In Masabaland, we cherish two important things: Coffee and circumcision. The coffee used to be sold through primary societies to Bugisu Cooperative Union

Giving Patients a Voice in Treatment  -  Mar 31, 2008
UC Los Angeles,Parks, a childbirth education specialist at Santa Monicaâ€“UCLA Medical Center, is quoted today in a Los Angeles Times article about infant circumcision.

Guinea-born supermodel Katoucha Niane retired from the catwalk in 1994  -  Mar 31, 2008
Africa Today,However, she will be remembered as an exceptionally vocal opponent of female circumcision - widely referred to as - Female Genital Mutilation (FGN),

Circumcised men no less likely to get sex diseases  -  Mar 19, 2008
Reuters UK,NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Circumcision does not appear to shield men from the types of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) common in the developed world,

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