Forced circumcision is a violent crime against humanity and it's time we stopped pussy-footing around and call it what it is - Genital Mutilation for Profit. It is a Human Rights Crime of epic scale for which victims must now be compensated.

All men circumcised as infants should receive just compensation for the loss of their mobile foreskin and its Ridged Band and the subsequent impairment of their sexual capacity which sub-normalized them for life. Victims of forced infant circumcision should at the very least receive free foreskin restoration devices and free Viagra and/or Cialis for life - paid for by the doctor who victimized them as a baby or that doctor's insurer.

'Forced circumcision is a violent crime against humanity ' yep and the mutilation of unborn babies is totally legal and even promoted in some quarters. Great to have such moral outrage over something so trivial.

From my experience 'surgical risk' is far greater than the supposed health risks to non-circumcised infant males. As for the long term benefits - I still don't see many. The only one that springs to mind is where personal hygiene assistance is required - usually in elderly disabled or dementia patients.

A male infant whose circumcision is poorly performed or at worse completely botched (albeit rare under Western surgical conditions) has the 'benefit' of a lifetime of issues ranging from poor body image through various levels of dysfunction to complete loss of his penis. Much more prevalent than penile cancer - let me assure you. Not to mention the odd unfortunate who has bleed out or succumbed to infection or complications of anaesthesia.

IMO - to circumcise is a decision which should be based on need and in the absence of disease or defect - there's no valid reason.

The issue of infant circumcision is not as trivial as some might think. The medical community has never investigated the long-term harm to boys and the men they become. In 2012 more than 1,000 men responded to the Global Survey of Circumcision Harm - www.CircumcisionHarm.org - to document the long-term adverse physical, sexual and psychological consequences of infant circumcision. They completed an extensive questionnaire and uploaded photographic evidence and video testimony of the harm they live with on a daily basis.

Divine,

"in your experience" really, how many botched circumcisions have you personally seen? Is dying of cancer minor compared to a poor body image?

The number of botched circumcisions in Western societies is so low that you probably have more chance of dying from a tooth pick.

As the medical experts have determined, the risks on both sides slightly favour circumcision. And the choice is entirely that of the parents.

Shadow - Over a 12 yr span in Qld public Hospitals, I saw several poorly performed circumcisions in infants - one of which was done on a child with undiagnosed hypospadias which caused severe trauma to the penis. This child required several follow up surgeries and would almost certainly have encountered functional problems in adulthood.

I saw a number of men - not many, perhaps 4 or 5 with problems related to their infant circumcision. These are possibly more common than thought but many men are embarrassed and their penis 'works' so it's not a huge deal. The main complaint was an erection which pulled to one side or bent like a banana. One man had had an excessive amount of skin removed from the shaft and as a result his pubic hair was a third of the way up the penis during erection.

Personally, I know a man, now in his early 60s, who lost approx two thirds of his glans during a botched infant circumcision. He was a reserved, rather withdrawn individual who never married - despite being a handsome fellow who attracted female attention. Whether this was because his penis was not functional, I don't know.

In that same 12 years I encountered 2 cases of Penile Cancer, one in a man in his 60s, the other an octogenarian. The 60 something gentleman smoked and drank heavily and had very poor hygiene - all greater risk factors than a foreskin. In my private life, I've never known anyone who has contracted this rare form of cancer.

It is these observations and experiences along with the lack of convincing research data that brings me to my logical conclusion - if it's not diseased or defective it doesn't need treating. Simple