MEDICAL FRAUD and the criminal assault of boys
Circumcision was supposed to prevent problems. Wasn't it?
"This is one of the biggest mistakes of my life"...
First let me commend you for the work you are doing to eliminate the barbaric practice of circumcision. Perhaps my personal experience may be helpful in spreading the message that circumcision is harmful to a male on many different levels. I will discuss these areas briefly: Physical harm, psychological harm and sexual harm.
At age 30, during a physical exam, my doctor noticing my long foreskin stated that this was an unhealthy situation. That I would likely have problems with it, and advised that I be clipped. Having never studied circumcision or the pros and cons of it, I consented. The doctor gave me no information on which to base an informed judgment. Neither did he give me any information about what style he would employ or how tight he would cut me, and I did not know enough to ask.
This was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. The doctor cut me so close that erections were painful and felt as if the skin would tear. He left only a scant 1/2 inch mucous and completely removed the frenum. I had 26 ugly stitches, skin puckers and stitch tunnels. I had to wear a condom for about a month because this big scar felt so raw. I still appear as if I had been put through a meat grinder. In a couple of months the sensitivity began to decline and has continued to decline to this day. Sexual pleasure has been reduced by at least 70% both in intensity and the fact that a whole range of sensation is completely gone. This is most logical as two of the structures were removed and the only remaining structure, the head has been toughened and desensitized by being deprived of the moist natural covering which God intended it to have and is constantly exposed to the friction of clothing.
While some styles of circumcision do not remove the frenum, it is almost always clipped at the lower end in such a manner that it can no longer perform its allotted function. Medical research has confirmed that the foreskin and frenum have more nerve structure and more specialized sensory response than the head does.
Circumcision has deprived me of much pleasure for the remainder of my life. It has caused me physical pain and has been psychologically devastating. I no longer feel like a real man because in fact I am not. God has given men a penis which is the primary organ and symbol of manhood. Two of the three most specialized, complex, and responsive structures of that organ have been amputated for NO justifiable reason.
At times I am almost overwhelmed with the injustice and the pain which I must suffer from a practice so barbaric that it would seem that it could not happen in this "enlightened" age. One of my favorite quotes is from Seneca: "Our posterity will wonder at our ignorance of things so plain." Inwardly I cry every time I shower, urinate, or have sex, when I see that scar. To combat this practice, I talk to prospective fathers, acquaintances, write letters, and am currently attempting to get a spokesperson from NOCIRC to appear on a radio talk show from the University of NC radio station.
Again, please accept my best wishes for your noble work. You may use this letter any way you wish. I believe the testimony from men who have experienced life with a foreskin and have lost it and recount the devastating effect, is about the most convincing evidence available.
W.K
Winston-Salem, NC
Another tragic story...
When our son was born, he was circumcised without our consent or knowledge till it was done. Of course, I raised particular hell, but it was too late , the damage was done.
When our son was 5 years old he had a urinary tract infection and spent 3 days in the hospital, even though he had been bathed every day.
Then in spite of being kept very clean as we had taught him, at 18 the urinary tract was infected and closed up completely, so he had to go to the hospital again where they used some method to open it up, and cure the infection which he said was very painful. This lasted till he was in his mid twenties when it closed up almost completely and was painful and almost impossible to urinate.
This time they performed surgery and said they had to install a tube in the penis, which was also a very painful procedure. He had to have a catheter through a hole in the lower abdomen into the bladder till the penis healed. He was hospitalized for 2 1/2 weeks that time. He is now 40 years old an still continues to have problems at times.
The doctors who worked on him said that if he had not been circumcised, he would not have likely ever had any problem. The foreskin covers and protects the opening to the urethra.
So several doctors have made a lot of money out of that circumcision which I guess is the main reason for doing it in the first place. Also, my son has practically no sensitivity in his penis since he was a child.
E.A.
Red Deer, Alberta
"We can certainly sympathize with the son for his trauma and dysfunction, and with Ernie for his feelings as the father. Just when we might tend to feel burned out, some story comes along which re-energizes us to keep on keeping on with our efforts to save our kids. Does anyone else besides me get this strange sympathetic twinge in his lap when reading these stories?"
Dr. D.C. McKnight
Iowa
Editor' note: It is an known fact that 99.99% of intact males seldom if ever have problems with their foreskin during their entire lives. They all know that the excuse to circumcise in order to prevent future problems is ludicrous. Any problems which may occur are minor and readily treated medically as you would be used in treating problems in females.
Furthermore, circumcised males know that circumcision has prevented few if any problems. In fact it has in most cases created problems which young boys and adult males have to endure their entire lives - often requiring repeated medical treatment. Many of the problems - damaged glans - too much foreskin removed etc. are problems which can never be corrected. Many prominent urologists will confirm this fact and state that most penile problems occur in circumcised males.
So let's dispel the myths that circumcision prevents problems. The fact is that it creates a multitude of problems as documented by circumcised males in the NOHARMM survey, stories told by circumcised males, and in the medical literature . Circumcision rarely prevents problems. A survey of circumcised males would soon reveal the facts.