Martin Robbins has some blunt things to say about genital mutilation.
Infant circumcision involves performing surgery without consent to permanently alter an individual’s genitals. In many cases this is done without good medical justification, for example to force the infant to conform to the expectations of a particular religion. Just as we call sex without consent ‘rape’, circumcision without consent or reasonable justification should be called ‘mutilation’.
Yes but religion. Respect. Tradition.
Physical merits and demerits aside, infant circumcision has had a profound psychological impact on many men. “I can’t get it out of my mind how I have been mutilated against my will,” reads one testimony on the website of the charity Norm UK
I spoke to several circumcised men in the course of writing this article, who were kind enough to allow me to share their experiences with you. I’ll be posting more of their testimony (and that of others) in a follow up to this post, but for now a couple of quotes are worth highlighting.
Philip, from London, told me how he felt when he first became aware of his status as a small child:
“I wanted it covered up. I felt mutilated. I also felt that my parents had abandoned me; why had they let someone do that to me? I had such a feeling of helplessness and abuse due to my circumcision.”
His advice to parents considering it now?
“DON’T. Even if you think it may be necessary later, wait until later to see if it really does become necessary.”
Which, surely, is only fair. Just wait. Let your kid decide.