One of the favourite myths of those who forcibly circumcise children is that it is safer to circumcise a baby rather than waiting till the child grows up (and can give or withhold his consent). The evidence points to the opposite being the case. It is riskier to circumcise a baby than it is to operate on an adult. Just one such risk to a child’s safety is loss of blood.
If a surgical procedure goes wrong, the amount of blood that can be lost from a newborn baby without endangering its life or causing it to enter shock is remarkably small. Approximately 71ml, or just a little over four tablespoons is all it takes (left). Considering this, the period shortly after birth is far from the safest time to perform a circumcision: an infant’s penis is small and not fully developed, the circumciser cannot accurately estimate the amount or type of tissue that they are removing, the severed blood vessels are tiny (and therefore difficult to close) and consequently the potential for unsafe levels of blood loss is considerably higher than in an adult. Furthermore, anaesthetising newborn babies is risky in itselfand studies have shown that the alternative (unanaesthestised circumcision) causes the stress hormone levels in baby boys to increase by a factor of three or four during circumcision [1] [2], making infant circumcision a dangerous and stressful event for a baby even before something goes ‘wrong’ and blood loss becomes an issue.
In contrast, if a surgical procedure goes wrong on an adult, the amount of blood that can be lost before they go into shock is about two pints. Two pints of blood is very visible, it demands attention and remedy in the way that only four tablespoons simply does not. Should an adult need, or choose, to be circumcised the blood vessels are clearly visible and much easier for the surgeon to manage. The adult is also properly anaesthetised and so not suffering the levels of stress that an infant would. Further, there is a greatly reduced risk of psychological damage, an adult will have given his informed consent for the surgery to be carried out. To force circumcision on a non-consenting child exposes him to great risk of psychological damage. The mental health charity Mind is one organisation that recognises this risk.
It is unfortunate for anyone whose surgery does not go entirely according to plan. It is a tragedy if the patient is left worse off than before the operation. It is a shameful aspect of our society that we allow non-consenting children to undergo non-therapeutic genital cutting that is by definition only harmful.
The mental health charity MIND, when using their search, comes up with zero results using ‘circumcision’ ‘foreskin’. Perhaps give a direct link to their works with circumcision, foreskin/penile ablation.
Thanks Frank. It seems MIND thinks the suffering caused by non-therapeutic circumcision is not a problem. All references to the psychological issues surrounding male circumcision have been removed from their web site.