Saturday, November 20, 2010

ban on circumcision of boys in San Francisco

Talal, a friend and comrade who leads a division at a major US medical center, sent me this (I cite with his permission): "
Aside form any religious issue, circumcision is emerging as an effective measure to decrease the transmission of HIV, and it has previously been associated with decrease human papilloma virus infection. So, there are legitimate medical reasons that can be marshalled in support  of the practice.  It can also be argued that unlike female genital mutilation, circumcision does not hinder the male 's sexual pleasure. So it is an uneven comparisons to equate the two practices. Personally, I think it should be left as a voluntary decision by the person involved to be taken at an older age."