Circumcision Quotations

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"A remedy [for masturbation] which is almost always successful in small boys is circumcision, especially when there is any degree of phimosis. The operation should be performed by a surgeon without administering an anæsthetic, as the brief pain attending the operation will have a salutary effect upon the mind, especially if it be connected with the idea of punishment, as it may well be in some cases. The soreness which continues for several weeks interrupts the practice, and if it had not previously become too firmly fixed, it may be forgotten and not resumed." ~ Dr John Harvey Kellogg, Plain facts for old and young: embracing the natural history and hygiene of organic life, 1877

"Circumcising a baby boy to protect against STDs is like selling your car to make sure he's never injured in a crash." ~ Dr Schwanz, Men's Health, July/August 2002

"Male circumcision provides a degree of protection against acquiring HIV infection, equivalent to what a vaccine of high efficacy would have achieved. Male circumcision may provide an important way of reducing the spread of HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa." - Dr Auvert, et al, PLoS Medicine, November 2005

"To cut off the uppermost skin of the secret parts is directly against the honesty of nature, and an injurious insufferable trick put upon her." ~ Dr John Bulwer Anthropometamorphosis, man transform'd, or the artificial changeling (London 1650), p. 213

"Despite overwhelming evidence from urological surgeons that neoplasm of the penis is a lethal disease that can be prevented by removal of the foreskin, some physicians continue to argue against routine circumcision in a highly emotional and aggressive fashion." - Dr Dagher, Journal of Urology, 1973

"Why is the operation of circumcision practiced? One might as well attempt to explain the rites of voodoo!" ~ William Keith C. Morgan, MD The Rape of the Phallus, 1967

"In an apparent effort to bolster the weak anticircumcision argument, 2 anecdotal beliefs are added to the listed reasons not to choose circumcision: the "protective benefit" of the foreskin on the tip of the penis and the belief that circumcision causes decreased sexual pleasure later in life. Neither of these anecdotal beliefs meets the stated criterion of being evidence-based." - Dr Schoen, et al, Pediatrics, 2000

"Circumcision is a solution looking for a problem. The medical profession bears responsibility for the introduction of prophylactic circumcision without scientific basis in the past and for its continued use and rationalization without scientific basis in the present. ~ Edward Wallerstein, Circumcision: An American Health Fallacy, 1980

"The multiple benefits of newborn circumcision are additive over a lifetime and include prevention of cancer of the penis, of balanoposthitis, and protection against the effects of phimosis and poor hygiene as well as prevention of UTI and STD, particularly of HIV." - Dr Schoen, et al, Archives of Diseases in Childhood, 1997

"Circumcised males do not benefit from their circumcision but instead only suffer pain and permanent disfigurement of their genitalia." ~ Thomas Bartman, MD, PHD Division of Neonatology University of California, San Francisco Pediatrics, Evanston, Jan 2001, Vol. 107:1, p 210

"Analgesia is safe and effective in reducing the procedural pain associated with circumcision; therefore, if a decision for circumcision is made, procedural analgesia should be provided." - Dr Lannon, et al, American Academy of Pediatrics: Circumcision Policy Statement, Pediatrics, 1999

"If I was a newborn baby tonight and I could speak and I was asked about circumcision, I would say, "Can you hold off a bit until I can make up my own mind."" ~ Roger McClay, New Zealand Commissioner for Children, The first cut, NZ Listener, Nov 17, 2001

"Our conclusion is that circumcision is neither a compelling prophylactic measure nor a form of child abuse. For this reason, nontherapeutic circumcision of infant boys is a suitable matter for parental discretion." - Drs Benatar and Benatar, American Journal of Bioethics, 2003

"Where possible, circumcision should not be done until the person is able to give informed consent." ~ Dr Rodger Charlton, June 2001, School of Postgraduate Medical Education University of Warwick, UK, "Men's health - a neglected area?", NZ Family Physician, v28 no3"

"[The] Task Force did recommend making all parents aware of the potential benefits and risks of circumcision and leaving it to the family to decide whether circumcision is in the best interests of their child." - Dr Lannon, et al, 1999 AAP Task Force on Circumcision, Pediatrics, 2000

"Circumcision is like a substantial and well-secured annuity; every year of life you draw the benefits. Parents cannot make a better paying investment for their little boys." - Dr Remondino, The History of Circumcision, 1891

"Circumcision: Cut the crap, not the baby!" ~ National Organization to Halt the Abuse and Routine Mutilation of Males (NOHARMM)

"God designed us, circumcision is blasphemy." ~ Arthur C. Clarke in 3001 (Ch.12)

"Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing." ~ Paul

"I think circumcision is a good idea... However, it is not absolutely necessary. (1946-68) I think circumcision is a good idea... However, it is not necessary. (1968-74) I strongly recommend leaving the foreskin alone. (1985) ~ Dr Benjamin Spock, Baby and Child Care

"If I was to cut off any other part of a baby for no good cause and without an anaesthetic, I'd be struck off the medical register and the parents would most likely lose custody of the child." ~ Christopher Green, paediatrician, Camperdown Children's Hospital, Sydney, 2001

"I want first-time offenders to think of their first appearance in my courtroom as the second-worst experience of their lives, circumcision being the first." ~ Judge Judy Sheindlin

"If God had wanted us to be uncircumcised, we'd all be born with foreskins." ~ Anonymous