Circumcision is widely present in Africa. The term circumcision is generally believed to be the act of removing the foreskin which surrounds the head of the penis. This practice was widely accepted in several countries including South Africa and in the United States in the early 1900’s.
Why this became so accepted can be attributed to the various reasons as to why it was performed. Hygiene issues, rites of passage, a presentation of masculinity, to prevent sexual intercourse, or for religious purposes have all been noted as viable reasons for the practice. These ideas relate directly to circumcision of the male penis, and not to circumcision practices currently in place in South Africa for females.
Forms of circumcision in Africa are far removed from what was practiced in the early 1900’s!! In addition to circumcisions, subinsicions are performed on young males. This involves the underneath side of the penis whereby an incision is made running the length of the penis to the urethra!
Infibulations, practiced on both males and females, is the suturing or sewing together of the foreskin over the penis or the labia of the female. This practice allows the individual to continue to urinate and menstruate, but complications are common. Lastly, emasculation is the removal of all of the male genitalia, i.e. the penis and testes.
Circumcision is performed shortly after birth in the United States however in Africa, males are in their teens when the circumcisions are performed. While it is still the act of removing the foreskin from the penis, the manner in which it is performed has proven to have devastating consequences. Many young men are left mutilated, losing their genitals to gangrene and infection due to a lack of appropriate medical care. Sterilization is not a consideration in regards to the instruments and aftercare is unheard of. Many risk of becoming infected with the AIDS/ HIV virus due to infected medical tools.
Female circumcision involves the removal of the clitoris and possibly other parts of the external genitalia. Other procedures include small incisions made in the clitoris. Usually performed when a girl reaches 15 years of age, this procedure leaves much the same scars as in their male counterparts. Infection and death are a high possibility!
Most recently public opinion on the necessities of circumcisions has been reviewed extensively. Due to the increased numbers of AIDS/HIV patients and fatalities directly related to the practice in Africa, public outcries have been issued calling for the practice to cease. Because it is so deeply embedded in the culture, it is unlikely the act will be discontinued anytime soon.
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Josh
Simple basic rule. Don’t cut off healthy normal body parts from infants.
Anyone who thinks it’s acceptable to maim a child’s genitals is a disgusting sadistic freak of nature. Regardless if the victim is male or female it is wrong, and anyone who pays for it or seeks it out for their child is a sex offender of the worst degree.
Vile scum of the earth.
geturefacts
so it shud b done when kids are young.
u dont ask kids permission to give them polio injection do you?
now if you goto somebody who knows nothing about polio and he injects 5 times the dose….bleah
fred
@geturefacts, Sorry you lost yours.
geturefacts
“The American Academy of Pediatrics (1999) stated that studies suggest that neonatal circumcision confers some protection from penile cancer, but circumcision at a later age does not seem to confer the same level of protection.”
lol @ all those hypocrites
geturefacts
Yo!
This is a procedure if done correctly actually prevents transfer of STDs specially for men. This is the reason it was introduced in the olden times in the 1st place!!
Ofcourse, like an surgery if it is done by an incompetent surgeon things will go wrong.
But before you start bashing the religions again, know your facts
This procedure reduces the chances of HIV/AIDS by 90%
I advise u read this information before increasing paranoia in public and also refrain from posting biased studies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumcision