The 80% rate given for the percentage of male babies being circumcised in the US is a little misleading. According to the Center For Disease Control (CDC) the rate has dropped to 32.5%. That means over half baby boys in the US are growing up intact.

The 80 percent circumcision rate in the U. S. that Dr. Roth cites has not been valid for decades. A the present time, most boys in Texas and Louisiana (just a few miles east of Beaumont) are not circumcised according to U. S. government statistics.

Another important factor in this decision, which the doctor does not address, is families' religious beliefs. Faith and tradition have a strong influence for many who circumcise their sons.

According to the AMA, only about 55% of US baby boys are circumcised, and the rate is dropping.

The USA and Israel are the only two countries in the world where more than half of baby boys are circumcised. Other countries circumcise, but usually anywhere from around the age of seven to adolescence.

Drops in male circumcision since 1950:
USA: from 90% to 55%
Canada: from 48% to 17%
UK: from 35% to about 5% (about 1-2% among non-Muslims)
Australia: 90% to 12.4% ("routine" circumcision has recently been *banned* in public hospitals in all states)
New Zealand: 95% to below 3% (mostly Samoans and Tongans)
South America and Europe: never above 5%

It's worth remembering that no-one except for Muslim and Jewish people would even be having this discussion if it weren't for the fact that 19th century doctors thought that :
a) masturbation caused various physical and mental problems (including epilepsy, convulsions, paralysis, tuberculosis etc), and
b) circumcision stopped masturbation.

Both of those sound ridiculous today I know, but that's how they thought back then, and that's how non-religious circumcision got started. Both of those sound ridiculous today I know, but that's how they thought back then, and that's how non-religious circumcision got started. If you don't believe me, then google this: "A Short History of Circumcision in North America In the Physicians' Own Words". Heck, they even passed laws against "self-pollution" as it was called.

Studies show that circumcision causes significant pain and trauma, behavioral and neurological changes in infants, potential parental stress from persistent crying (colic) of infants, disrupted bonding between parent and child, and risk of surgical complications. Other consequences of circumcision include loss of a natural, healthy, functioning body part, reduced sexual pleasure, potential psychological problems, and unknown negative effects that have not been studied.

Some circumcised men resent that they are circumcised. Sexual anxieties, reduced emotional expression, low self-esteem, avoidance of intimacy, and depression are also reported. Some doctors refuse to perform circumcisions because of ethical reasons. Relying on the presumed authorities (e.g., American Academy of Pediatrics or doctors who echo AAP views) is not sufficient. For more information see http://www.circumcision.org.

Wow, Dr. Roth really messed up. The CDC stated that the circumcision rate in America was 35%, and other studies place it at 50%. The rate is dropping due to more and more parents realizing that babies are born perfectly intact, and they don't need painful, risky, and harmful cosmetic surgery.

Incidentally, no professional medical association in the world recommends routine infant circumcision, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The Royal Dutch Medical Association, The Royal Australasian Medical Association, and The Canadian Paediatric Society, have all said circumcision of newborns should not be routinely performed.

Indoctrinating your child into YOUR chosen religion, should never excuse mutilating their genitals. This article could have been REALLY short. There is no argument when you realize, IT'S ONLY THE OWNER OF THE PENIS WHO GETS TO DECIDE. Mutilating someone else's genitals is NEVER OK! End of story.

Fact: Circumcision Removes the Most Sensitive Parts of the Penis. A sensitivity study of the adult penis in circumcised and uncircumcised men shows that the uncircumcised penis is significantly more sensitive. The most sensitive location on the circumcised penis is the circumcision scar on the ventral surface. Five locations on the uncircumcised penis that are routinely removed at circumcision are significantly more sensitive than the most sensitive location on the circumcised penis.

In addition, the glans (head) of the circumcised penis is less sensitive to fine touch than the glans of the uncircumcised penis. The tip of the foreskin is the most sensitive region of the uncircumcised penis, and it is significantly more sensitive than the most sensitive area of the circumcised penis. Circumcision removes the most sensitive parts of the penis.

This study presents the first extensive testing of fine touch pressure thresholds of the adult penis. The monofiliment testing instruments are calibrated and have been used to test female genital sensitivity.
Sorrells, M. et al., Fine-Touch Pressure Thresholds in the Adult Penis, BJU International 99 (2007): 864-869.

Why is the circumcision rate in Michigan so much higher than the national average? Nationwide the infant circumcision rate is about 55%. In the west coast states the infant circumcision rate is below 30%.

When are Dr. Roth and her colleagues going to find the moral courage to end the practice of non-religious, non-therapeutic circumcision of boys?

Not all Beaumont doctors are as ignorant as she is. Our family physician is a Beaumont doctor and told us straight up that it is purely a cosmetic procedure with no medical benefits. It's a shame that doctors like Roth continue to perpetuate the lies and spread misinformation.