I had the privilege of listening to a very interesting lecture at a holistic event about something I never really thought about, the practice of circumcision on male babies in the U.S. I learned that doctors do this on a routine basis, charging anywhere between $150 and $300 per male baby to not only remove a large part of his penis, but do it in an inhumane way. The doctors generally reassure parents that this is the way to go, for cleanliness or the prevention of disease.

Now, I dont believe a mistake was made when man was created, do you? Even if one doesn't believe in creation, nature just doesn't repeatedly make what doctors are considering to be faults in baby boys that must be fixed. I understand that those of the Jewish faith regularly circumcise the male child but according to what I have learned, they only remove a very small portion of the foreskin at the tip of the glans. Doctors in the U.S. remove the whole thing which is a lot of skin and amounts to approximately the size of a 3 x 5 inch index card in an adult male! Many times they accidentally remove even more skin than this and boys grow up with either painful erections or their erections are bent because the skin is stretched too tight. Both men and women usually believe that's just the way some penises look and never question it. There can be other complications also. Circumcised males grow up never knowing that they lost a natural function of the penis and lost a great amount of sexual pleasure.

Females are born with the same exact thing as males have, a foreskin called a prepuce and the same smega, which is just some dead skin. In the U.S., it would never cross the doctor's or parent's mind to cut off part of their baby girl's genitals for cleanliness. It just doesnt happen. Some countries today practice circumcising and castrating female babies but cleanliness is certainly not the reason. I believe this practice is abhorrent and something needs to be done now to end it. During the lecture, the speaker said Clinton made circumcising female babies illegal in the U.S.

I heard and read about how the babies are circumcised in this country. Their arms and legs are strapped down to a restraint board and during the procedure, they scream in pain and terror. This makes my heart go out to all male babies in this country and elsewhere where this is practiced. I learned that only until recently in the U.S. did doctors begin using some kind of anesthetic for the baby but this is not a common practice.

What a way to come into the world! So I wonder, what affect does this practice have on males about themselves and their self-worth? How has this traumatic experience manifested in the male's life while growing up and as a man? And why is this still being practiced in America?

Fortunately, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The lecturer gave me a book written by Thomas J. Ritter, M.D. and George C. Denniston, M.D. called, Doctors Re-examine Circumcision. It seems that many physicians around the U.S. are now speaking out against circumcision.

"The United States is the only country in the entire world that routinely circumcises most of its newborn males for other than religious reasons. [p. 16-1]

It contains pictures and diagrams of circumcision procedures, including pictures of mistakes with the procedure, resulting in a deformed penis or no penis at all. In the event of an accidental, complete amputation of the penis, which apparently happens, the doctor would just create a vagina. The book also has pictures of what a penis is really supposed to look like and all of the benefits an natural, uncircumcised penis has. It examines the many myths people have been told over the years of why circumcision is "necessary".

What moral or legal right does any parent have to remove a valuable and normal segment of another human beings body? Would it be moral or legal to remove the tip of every males left little finger, or to knock out a front tooth, because it was fashionable and everyone else was doing it? [p. 13-1]

The good news is that there is a movement of circumcised men around the country to grow their foreskins back! A man is actually able to regain a large amount of sensitivity after growing back what was taken from in the first place, without his consent. Our bodies are truly miraculous! More information is available in a book called, "The Joy of Uncircumcising: Restore Your Birthright and Maximize Sexual Pleasure" by Jim Bigelow, Ph.D. There is also a website called, Restore Yourself! A Handy Kit for Circumcised Men at:

http://www.restoreyourself.com

Here is a quote from this website:

"You should feel increased sexual sensitivity on the glans of your penis within 30 days. It may take three months to see new skin. Within nine months, you will probably find that you can use your new skin to stimulate your glans."

Since the lecture, I've shared this information with many men and women. I believe the more we examine and talk about this practice of circumcision, the more something can be done about ending it, not only in the U.S. but throughout the world.