@Patrick , you and your guys might want to do something about this.
“Religious freedom” gone off the rails.
FFRF has been fighting this for a long time in both the US and around the world. This is now an issue regarding male circumcision as well. In NY and NJ, medial insurance companies are no longer covering circumcision. Doctors won’t do it any longer as they won’t get paid for it. Unlicensed Mohel’s are being threatened with jail. Yes, it is a big religious freedom mess.
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Male and female circumcision are totally separate things. It is important not to mix them, as this does real disservice to those who have suffered the latter.
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They are exactly the same things! Little boys feel no pain?
I really don’t have time for a medical lesson for you. You really need to get educated on this, because this sort of disinformation does significant harm.
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I agree. I’m not even willing to call it circumcision. I think genital mutilation is a much better term for it.
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The article I just posted by the anthropologist is very good. In particular, she recommends calling it “genital cutting”. Medically speaking, FGM is far more like…(I was going to complete this sentence and then realized it would be too graphic)…
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Oh please. Is this what passed for the much vaunted atheist reason? Stubbing my toe is exactly the same as circumcision because in both cases I experience pain?
I totally disagree with you. Especially since you are an MD. Both Male and Female Circumcisions are deeply rooted in ancient religious rituals. Christians, in the 20th century, took male circumcision as a beneficial medical procedure which has now been debunked.
You are way out of your depth here @Patrick. Male circumcision is as effective as a vaccine in preventing the transmission of HIV. It is a default preventative measure used in Africa right now, recommended by WHO and encouraged by physicians as a safe and helpful mitigation to a humanitarian disaster there.
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/9/08-051482/en/
In contrast, FGM intentionally causes long term pain and health problems for women. FGM is like a botched male circumcision, where a large amount of extra flesh is removed. Except, in the case of FGM, it is done intentionally, to make sure that women do not enjoy sex in the future.
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I did two Google searches:
medical reasons for male circumcision
medical reasons for female genital mutilation
I commend them to @Patrick.
You’re right, it is not the same. FGM is much much worse and I will continue to fight against it worldwide.
But I do have a lot of fun, in NY and NJ, getting the Orthodox Jews riled up on circumcision.
Do that all you want but do not connect it to FGM. That equates a deadly serious issue with something that is a matter of preference. By doing so, you risk people being unwilling to join in dealing with FGM, just because they think it is as benign as male circumcision. It is deeply dangerous to put forward that sort of false equivalence.
As for the biological mechanisms, you might enjoy this paper:
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Agreed.
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