Education

Female Circumcision, is it Genital Mutilation Or Just a Form of Self Improvement

Posted by admin on May 31, 2011

I knew nothing of female circumcision; I thought the cutting was done only on men genitals. Why is it necessary? It is very interesting to me and I thought it might be of interest to some of you. What you are about to read will be a little graphic.

Female circumcision is widely known by females. Well, I have never heard of it. This is my first time hearing about it. You learn something new everyday. That is so true.

Clitoral circumcision- is an operation when the females clitoral are removed. Clitoral is the females genital. The clitoral is the piece of skin that hangs inside the vagina. It is how a woman feels sexual arousement.

Sunna Circumcision is an operation when the tip of the clitoral is removed. In some cases, the procedure is done by cutting a hole in a piece of cloth and placing it over the area. In some cases, the cutting has been done by a knife or razor. In some parts of Mexico and South America, the signs of a cross are cut into it. Sunna, in Arabic means Tradition.

Some women have this procedure done because lack of sexual arousement, pain, the length, meaning it is too long and cleanness. Most females in Western countries in the 1950s did not know much about female anatomy. In parts of Africa and Egypt, having a circumcision is traditional. The whole procedure period is just considered wrong and a form of child abuse in other countries. Other women do it for cleanliness. It really does not have anything to do with religion in some cases.

This has been happening in Africa for centuries. It is believe to be done to prepare girls for womanhood and marriage. It is often performed with no anesthetic. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was brought to attention by African activists and medical practitioners to end the mutilation, fighting for the rights of their body. Cutting off the females clitoral has been reported to have bad side effects interfering with women health.

In 1950, in Egypt inside an illegal clinic, a 12-year-old girl died from an overdose of anesthetic while going under the operation to have her genital removed. The mother of the 12 year old paid only $9 to have the procedure done. A Minister in Maghagh fought to have the procedure banned. In 1995, it was reversed shortly after a CNN documentary and approved only to be performed by medical licensed staff. In certain parts of the country, it is still performed to lessen the girls sexual desire.

In 2003, UNICEF did a survey and it was found that 97% of the women in Egypt had the procedure done. Another study was done about 50.3% of girls between the ages of 10-18 had been circumcised. Though some believe it is wrong, it is still being performed, because they think that it will protect their child virginity until marriage.

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Male Circumcision, What’s The Point Of It

Posted by admin on May 31, 2011

Male circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin around the head of the penis. While this may seem a taboo practice, there is a large proportion of the population who has had it done. In the US alone, over 60% of the population ends up having circumcisions at some point in their life. While this figure seems high, it was once at a peak of 85% in the 70′s.

So what is the foreskin for? Why do males have one? Well, it generally acts as a protection for wear and tear against the sensitive penis glans (head). It also protects the glans from any irritation for babies and it also contains erogenous tissue and lubrication which contributes to sexual arousal.

So with all these benefits, why is it people remove it? Well the main cause is due to medical reasons. In birth, babies are born with naturally tight foreskins and over the years of puberty it is meant to loosen out so by the age of 18, it can be fully retractable. In some cases, the foreskin can remain too tight to pull back. The medical term for this is Phimosis. While there are other surgical operations to cure this including stretching the foreskin and reshaping of the prepuce to make it wide, sometimes circumcision is the only effective method. If not, it can prove near impossible to wash the glans, resulting in an infection called Balantis. This normally can be identified by red tender areas on the glans and can cause irritation, tenderness, impotence and swelling. Other conditions are that it can become so tight that it makes it painful and sometimes impossible to urinate or have sex.

Yet there are actual benefits to have a circumcision. Men who have been circumcised tend to contract fewer urinary tract infections. It also offers some defense against sexual transmitted diseases as it’s easier to wash the bacteria away before it does any damage. While only very small, there is evidence that it can reduce the risk of penile cancer, which on its own is incredibly rare.

It is also possible to have the foreskin reconstructed. While it may seem a bit odd to have the foreskin removed, and then reconstructed, some males who may have had it either removed at birth, or for medical reasons, want it back. There are surgical and non-surgical methods for doing this.

The surgical method involves taking skin from either the penis or another part of your body, and grafting it onto the glans. Yet people rarely go for the surgical reconstruction, as it can prove to be painful and complications can occur. This is why people normally choose the non-surgical option. This involves stretching what is left of the foreskin with either weights or a traction device. This causes the foreskin to grow as its having to create new cells to fill in the gaps.

However, in both cases it is impossible to completely restore the foreskin. There are nerve endings and blood vessels that contribute to sexual feelings which can never fully be replaced, although partial replacement is doable.

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Benefits That Circumcision Brings

Posted by admin on May 10, 2011

Male Circumcision is removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word circumcision comes from the Latin word circum meaning around and caedere meaning to cut.

There are varied purposes for circumcision. In the USA infant boys are submitted by their parents for circumcision for social, medical and cultural reasons. In the mid 20th century, pediatricians and obstetricians urged that circumcision operation be on a routine basis but this policy was relaxed letting parents chose the elective options Along this point, The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement that though there are existing scientific evidences indicating benefits of circumcision, the benefits aren’t strong enough to recommend circumcision as a routine practice.

Judaism or Islam followers have their sons circumcised adhering to their religious beliefs Others submit for circumcision for medical benefits.

Circumcision for men and boys needs methods. They are the [1] Plastibell Methods, [2] the Gomco Clamp Method and the [3] Mogen Clamp Method

Females do practice circumcision. Theirs is termed Female Genital Cutting. WHO defined it as “all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural, religious or other non-therapeutic reasons”. FGC is practiced worldwide with practitioners mostly concerted in Asia and Africa. The custom of FGC “cuts across religions and is practiced by Muslims, Christians, Jews and followers of indigenous religions”, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Common Types of Genital Operations are: [1] Circumcision or the removal of the prepuce or hood of the clitoris, [2] Clitoridectomy or removal of the clitoris, [3] Excision or removal of the clitoris and of all or parts of the labia minora and [4] Infibulation or removal of the clitoris, labia minora and all or part of the labia majora. Many muslims called this type the Pharaonic Circumcision.

These are the reasons why Female Genital Cutting is practiced: tradition, control of female sexuality, enhanced fertility, purity, religion, manageability, female gender identity, adult status and ethnic identity.

HERE are the benefits that circumcision brings to circumcised men or boys:

  1. Circumcised boys are 5 times less susceptible to Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). The number of circumcised boys who will get UTI is small compared to those who aren’t. Research reveals that severe UTI infection “at an early age can lead to kidney problems later in life”.
  2. Indications show that circumcised men are less likely to suffer from penile cancer, inflammation of the penis or sexually transmitted disease (STD). Education and safe sex practices prevent STDs. Good hygiene prevents infections of penis.
  3. Circumcised men are free and prevented from getting phimosis which is the tightening of the foreskin that may close the opening of the penis.
  4. Circumcised men may have lower risk of prostate cancer. “There is evidence that foreskin infection track up the urethra”, states Prof. Tim Oliver, from the Institute of Cancer, Queen Mary University, London. Infections that are not easily cured may increase prostate cell division. “”Each division allows a chance for DNA damage. For some patients this ends in cancer”, Prof. Oliver points out.
  5. Survey shows that circumcised men are three times less likely to carry the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV can cause cervical cancer in women. “Studies report a 58% reduction in cervical cancer risk among women whose partners were circumcised,” states Professor of Cancer Prevention at the Harvard School of Public Health, Dimitrios Trichopoulos.
  6. Circumcised men enjoy 60% lower incidence of HIV Why? Because the foreskin contains high number of target cells for HIV infection. The foreskin is likewise prone to tear during sexual intercourse. The break in the foreskin may pave the way for the HIV to enter. According to HIV Researcher, Prof. Roger Short, from the Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Melbourne, “Removing the foreskin removes the main site of HIV entry into the penis. Circumcision’s protective effect is proven beyond doubt”.
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