> nobody ever asked me whether I wanted to lose my foreskin
Nor me.
I was blessed with a daughter, but plan was if she had been a boy, he would have stayed intact until an age where he could make an informed decision on his own.
There's nothing wrong (IMO) with a fellow over 18 deciding to have his foreskin removed. As long as it's HIS decision. Anesthetics work on the penis. Hell, I watched the doctor perform my vasectomy, with a bit of local anesthetic. No big deal.
> hospitals in Portland will not carry out the operation of boys older than four weeks
There's the REAL problem. They should instead have a rule that they will not carry out the operation on persons YOUNGER than 18 years. Make it like tattoos and other body modifications.
And BTW, the so-called "health" arguments are bogus -- how hard is it to wash your dick, really? Geez...
But it is a hugely profitable procedure.
Hobson washes mine
.
If it makes no difference that a circumcised penis IS easier to keep clean and that a circumcised penis is more pleasing aesthetically (and boys don’t need to feel ‘different, but fit in with their peers) then how about this:
UNCIRCUMCISED MEN ARE ABOUT TWICE AS LIKELY TO BE INFECED WITH HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV) AND PASS IT ALONG TO SEXUAL PARTNERS, RESULTING IN HIGHER CERVICAL CANCER RATES in regions where the majority of men are uncircumcised [source: Infectious Diseases Society of America].
It also appears that circumcision helps protect against infection from chlamydia and syphilis [source: JAMA
http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=circumcision.htm&url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081007172820.htm
Recent studies have shown that circumcision can dramatically reduce the rate of HIV infection. According to these studies, A CIRCUMCISED MAN IS 60 percent LESS LIKELY TO CONTACT HIV than an uncircumcised man [source: Timbert].
http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=circumcision.htm&url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081007172820.htm
(This holds true only in the case of female-to-male transmission — circumcision hasn’t been seen to influence the rate of male-to-male HIV transmission [source: JAMA].)
http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=circumcision.htm&url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081007172820.htm
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Mayo Clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/circumcision/MY01023/DSECTION=why-its-done
>Decreased risk of urinary tract infections. The overall risk of urinary tract infections in males is low, but these infections may be more common in uncircumcised males.
Severe infections early in life can lead to kidney problems later on.
>Prevention of penile problems. Occasionally, the foreskin on an uncircumcised penis may be difficult or impossible to retract (phimosis). This can also lead to inflammation of the foreskin or head of the penis.
>Decreased risk of penile cancer. Although cancer of the penis is rare, it’s less common in circumcised men. In addition, cervical cancer is less common in the female sexual partners of circumcised men.
>Decreased risk of sexually transmitted infections. Safe sexual practices remain essential, but circumcised men may have a lower risk of certain sexually transmitted infections — including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
.