On March 17, 2007. Antoinette McGowa, posted an article titled “Why Circumcision Should Be Mandatory.” Her article demonstrates the ignorance of those who are pro-child genital mutilation (AKA. Circumcision).
In the article she had wrote, she argues for the idea that mutilating a male child’s genitalia is a good thing, because it reduces HIV and HPV.
“Circumcision reduces the risks of acquiring HIV. Circumcision reduces the risk of catching the Human Papillomavirus. Circumcision reduces the risks of cervical cancer for his future partners. It is clearly shown that circumcision is just as medically necessary as the HPV vaccine for girls.”
Now she’s not alone on this idea. Many people try to argue that there are medical benefits to mutilating their sons genitals. Of course, they tend to leave out teaching their children abstinence, safe sex and how to keep them self clean down their, can be just effective if not more effective than medically altering a perfectly functioning part of their body. Not to mention these benefits are not worth the risk when compared to the risks/complications of this unnecessary surgical procedure.
Can you tell which is a boy in which is a girl?
Amazingly the very same people who are advocating and even arguing for the mandatory mutilation of boys, don’t seem to be making that same argument when it comes to girls and women. Even though studies show there are medical benefits to mutilating the genitals of females (AKA: female circumcision ). And seeing that the genitalia of male and females are very similar in their make up, it comes as no surprise that we find pretty much the same medical benefits when it comes to the mutilation of the females genitalia as we do when it comes to the mutilation of the boys genitalia.
For example, there are studies that have shown a decrease in HIV transmission when it comes to the mutilation of the females genitals (female circumcision). And with that said, we don’t exactly see those that advocate such a medical practice on on boy also advocating it for girls, do we?
Now for those of you are thinking of the excuse that, when women get circumcised it removes all sexual pleasure to justify your hypocrisy in doing this to boys and not girls. Well, you’re wrong. Studies also show that women who have been circumcised still feel pleasure and can even achieve orgasm. But just like the mutilation of little boys. The mutilation of the female anatomy has the same effect. It reduces pleasure but does not cause a complete loss of sexual pleasure.
It’s amazing to see how people like Antoinette McGowa so easily find studies that they think support their position that boys should be circumcised. But never look into any further, to how the same can be said about the female gender. If anything, this is very revealing. Because it shows that it’s not really about trying to prevent diseases like HIV or HPV. If that were true, I would be expecting to read an article where she also advocates female circumcision for the same reason. And perhaps read about how she has voluntarily had herself and daughters circumcised and then tells us what great an experience it was. But I hardly doubt we will see any such article. Instead, I suspect this is the kind of things that people like her put out in order to have an excuse they can use to continue justifying using such a barbaric and outdated practice.
The fact is circumcision is rarely medically necessary. And even when it was once seen as such in the past as medically necessary (such as tight foreskin). It is no longer that way. As there are other ways to solve the problem without genital mutilation surgery.
Even from a religious perspective, at least a Christian religious perspective it is not necessary. And I have an article posted on my blog about this that is worth checking out (Click here to read it).
Frankly, in my opinion. Anybody who does this to the child, in today’s day and age where knowledge is very much readily available on the Internet. And they still go through with mutilating their child’s genitals. They are guilty of child abuse.
Resources used:
Pleasure and Orgasm in Women with Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17970975
Female circumcision and HIV infection in Tanzania: for better or for worse?http://www.ias-2005.org/planner/Abstracts.aspx?AID=3138
My Christian Family's Blog 