Routine infant circumcision (RIC) is a common, normalized procedure on male infants in the United States of America. Many new parents do not question circumcision, they consent to the procedure without doing much research because they believe it is a necessary procedure for cleanliness. The doctors and nurses that care for new parents and infants offer little to no counsel on circumcision, there is no risk vs. benefits explanation offered. Thus, many parents choose circumcision for their male infants without realizing that it actually isn't necessary and can often times be detrimental. It's misconceptions like these that fuel the normilization of circumcision. The United States of America is one of the very few countries that practices routine infant circumcision. In fact, 80% of the world's population does not circumcise males as a regular practice. Germany has gone as far making circumcision a crime, citing circumcision as a criminal assault in 2012. It was once common belief …show more content…
Several methods are used to perform a circumcision, each one removing the foreskin from the penis. The foreskin, portrayed as a hiding place for bacteria and germs, actually protects the glans (head) of the penis, especially in the case of infants who are at risk of fecal contamination. The inner portion of the foreskin very closely resembles the inner surface of the mouth in the way that it is a mucous membrane. It provides moisture to the glans, as well as protecting the glans from friction and abrasion. Aside from losing protection and moisture, loss of sensation will occur. The foreskin is dense with nerve endings and blood vessels. When the foreskin is removed, the glans is exposed and thickens in response to friction, lack of moisture, and abrasions, which subsequently furthers the loss of sensation. Many people are unaware that the foreskin is a functioning, extremely complex structure of the
In Althaus’ article, she provides in-depth information about female circumcision; a highly controversial cultural ritual that is practiced in at least 28 countries
Some fear that the removal of the healthy part of an organ is a purely
Penile adhesions often result from inadequate lysis of natural adhesions prior to circumcision or from migration of the skin from a prominent suprapubic fat pad. “The majority of these adhesions should lyse spontaneously as the penis grows, suprapubic fat recedes, and erections become more frequent and firmer” (2011). Otherwise, lysis of penile adhesions can be performed in the doctor’s office if they don’t lyse naturally on their own. This is accomplished by gently pushing away the adhesions from the glans after administering a topical anesthetic cream such as EMLA.
Afterwards, the parents sign a surgical consent giving the provider the approval to perform the procedure. The purpose of the circumcision is to remove the foreskin from the head of the penis, and allow the head of the penis to be exposed. The provider will use various supplies during the procedure such as an topical or injection anesthetic, a scapula to cut the foreskin, and one of three different clamps to hold the foreskin. According to Bcheraoui et al. (2014), studies have revealed that male circumcisions have an overall side effects rate of 0.5% if performed during the child’s first year of life, but increase up to 20 times that if performed after
Little, Cindy M. "FEMALE GENITAL CIRCUMCISION: MEDICAL AND CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS." Journal of Cultural Diversity 10.1 (2003): 30-34. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Apr. 2011.
Circumcision is a painful operation that newborns in the United States experience. Anesthetics are not used on these patients since they are at such a young age, as a consequence the infant is awake throughout the procedure. Some infants Phimosis is the inability for the foreskin to retract at the appropriate age because of how tight the skin is around the head of the penis. Phimosis is rare only affecting 1%-5% (glansie.com).
Most Americans view circumcision as a solution to a problem which it is not. Circumcision has not been scientifically proven to prevent, solve, or improve any health condition or state. One of the most common reasons people circumcise infants is because they believe it will make cleaning babies easier. This is a common misconception. Parents for generations have been taught that uncircumcised babies need to have the underside of their foreskin cleaned, but this is physically impossible to do without permanently damaging the organ. When a baby is born the foreskin is fused to the head of the penis, thus no additional care is needed. The organ is very self-cleaning just like it’s female
Certainly, in the United States (and much of the Western world), female circumcision is illegal; however, male circumcision is utterly legal. In fact, in 2007, the Center for Disease Control reported that almost eighty percent of men in the United States were circumcised (Morris): legally, zero percent were females. Yet, several nations, where the culture is absolutely polar from the West, have prohibited male circumcision (Evans). The predominant factor, of course. The ideologies of culture make the laws, including morals; thus, these laws represent each region’s civilization, morals, and culture. Again, doctors must conform—this time to the law, not the parent. So, any decision doctors make, regarding circumcision, is due to cultural restrictions and their own
As midwives we can play an integral role in helping our clients make crucial decisions about their children’s lives. Although some parents may not hesitate with their decision to circumcise due to cultural or religious practices, it is our jobs as primary health care providers to present research evidence in a way to allow our clients to make informed choices. Along with presenting the scientific evidence outlined in this paper, being able to refer our client to competent health care providers that perform circumcisions is part of our critical role in the postpartum period.
... cause of a problem but it is the result of a situation’ (Greunbaum, 2001, pp. 177-178). There’s a need to understand the cultural and social dimension of female circumcision in order to realize and respect people for the culture; however, there is also a need for better medical environments for this procedure to be performed in.
Infanticide is not unique to humans. It is practiced by many mammals including some primates. The main difference between human and animal infanticide is that infanticide in humans is performed by the parent(s) of the child while in the case of animals it is usually a male suitor (Caldwell and Caldwell, 2005, p. 208). In pre-modern societies infanticide was done instead of abortions as it allowed for sexual selection, it was much more effective than pre-modern contraception, and it did not require any special skills or esoteric knowledge (Caldwell and Caldwell,2005, p. 205). Infanticide has a history as a method of population control. It is more frequent to throw away girl babies. This may be because of dowries or other cultural reasons. Infanticide seems to occur primarily when it aids one parent, both parents or additional children to survive better or if when the infant has little chance of survival.
Unlike male circumcisions which were practice for religious purposes, female circumcision is done for social convention and is practiced as a way to prepare girls for marriage, as well as conform to societal norms of femininity. Female circumcisions are often motivated by what would be considered proper female behavior and as a way to promote virginity as well as cause pain during intercourse to uphold these beliefs. Much like male circumcision these societal beliefs about sex and purity, have affected these cultures in their convictions that circumcision must be performed to be pure and free of
Many question whether female circumcision (FGM, genital cutting, etc.) is a form of abuse, is it a humane and morally acceptable practice and how can we fix this horrendous practice? These assumptive thoughts are typically made through the eyes of outsiders, female circumcision is many things and must be looked at through such a lens. Despite, all of this female circumcision is still framed very commonly between these three views, female circumcision is abuse, is a result of patriarchal societies, and is a cultural and religious practice.
Rites of passage, specifically circumcision, are the focus of study for multiple theorists. Circumcision as a ritual of passage encompasses various theories on the function of these ritualistic passages. Arnold Van Gennep, Vincent Crapanzano, and Victor Turner each approach the ritual of circumcisions’ function differently, specifically they question whether the ritual can be considered in stages.
Female circumcision, also known as Female genital mutilation, or female genital cutting is a custom that has sparked controversy among many people belonging to other cultures not accustomed to the practice. Within the argument lay a series of debates surrounding the issue as culture and tradition clash with human rights over whether or not this practice should be allowed. Advocates against the practice draw on the prevalence, perceptions, and reasons for conducting FGM to combat what they believe is a human rights issue.