Suseonline, if it was shown that the routine removal of tonsils and apendices prevented future problems and the benefits significantly outweighed the risks, then I believe that parents should have the right to choose that option for their child. However, I have not seen any research that says that this is the case.

This is really an argument about parental rights to consent to medical procedures for their children. Do parents have that right in this society or not? The anti-circumcision crowd apparently believe that they do not and that the government can legislate against their choices for any procedure that they deem unnecessary.

And apparently 579 believes that African men are not the same as other men, so any research involving them is not relevant. Bizarre.

Hahaha, shadowminister, that's funny. Billions of men do not have their foreskins removed across the globe. It's actually there for a reason, to protect that very, very sensitive part of the penis. We shoud do a scientific study on that. Does circumcision reduce pleasure for the man due to de-sensitisation of the unprotected glans.

I opted not to have my son genitally mutilated. It's cruel. Wonder when the first boy/man is going to sue his parent for genital mutilation, especially when it come to light that sexual pleasure is compromised!

Yvonne,

The studies have been done and were included in the overall assessment by the American pediatric body. I would suggest you read the link I provided.

yvonne: "We shoud do a scientific study on that. Does circumcision reduce pleasure for the man due to de-sensitisation of the unprotected glans."

There have been studies on that. No desensitisation was demonstrated or observed.

I am happy that you did not opt for something that in your opinion is cruel, that would be very odd. However your opinion is exactly that, others have differing opinions. I personally consider sending your children to Sunday School and teaching them about hell and eternal damnation to be cruel and completely unnecessary, but many people apparently don't. However, I don't think that it will be legislated against on the basis of my opinion.

Parental choice and their rights to consent for their children is key here. Noone is going to get sued by their children for this, that is just a fantasy.

Who will be the first to post the next study on circumcision proving beyond a doubt that it is an unnecessary procedure.

Studies schmuddies. My faith in studies is diminishing with every year but they are a necessary evil. Occasionally there may be actual new information or effects demonstrated especially in the area of science innovation. As always it is necessary to make full use of your own powers of judgement and commonsense.

*This is really an argument about parental rights to consent to medical procedures for their children. Do parents have that right in this society or not?*

So Bugsy, if SM rolled out the statistics to show that removing girls
clits by medical procedure commonly stops them screwing around and
picking up diseases, so is good for their health, would you support
that parental choice too?