Male Circumcision

Circumcision is the practice of removing the foreskin from the penis, leaving the glans, or head, of the penis permanently exposed. Circumcision is affiliated primarily with cultural beliefs about penile aesthetics and hygiene or with religious traditions. This practice is most frequently performed upon males [Page 499]during infancy, though some adult men may pursue circumcision for aesthetic, sexual, or medical reasons. Today, routine circumcision upon newborn males is the most common elective surgical intervention occurring in the United States.

In the United States, as of 1870, only 5 percent of newborn males were circumcised. By 1940, this number had risen to 55 percent of newborn males, and by 1980, the numbers of circumcised newborn males peaked at about 85 percent. In recent years, the circumcision rate of newborn males has fluctuated in the low 60 percent range. Variation in circumcision rates exists geographically within the United States, with the Midwest having the highest incidence rate of approximately 80 percent, followed by the Northeast (about 65 percent), the South (about 60 percent), and the West (about 32 percent). Racially, the occurrence of circumcision is fairly consistent, though black males have a slightly greater likelihood of circumcision than white males, and other racial minority groups seem to have a lower likelihood of circumcision than whites. Statistics are unavailable to address the number of adult men pursuing circumcision, though it appears to be quite low. The majority of men who are circumcised as adults often do it out of medical necessity.

Compared globally, the United States has one of the highest circumcision rates of newborns, being exceeded only by Israel, where the majority of males are circumcised in childhood. Following these nations are Canada (25 percent of newborns) and Australia (10 percent of newborns). Islamic nations also have high rates of circumcision, but this frequently occurs during childhood or adolescence. While statistics vary, it estimated that, globally, 80 percent of men are not circumcised.

Historically, circumcision became more common in America in part as the result of increasing regulation of body and sexuality in the Victorian era. Standards of hygiene were changing in America during the course of the 19th century as running water became more readily available. Of particular concern with male genitals were the foreskin and the potential accumulation of bodily secretions and dirt that may be captured within the foreskin. Additionally, moral and health concerns surrounding masturbation and the loss of bodily fluid, semen in particular, were rampant. Circumcision was believed to reduce the likelihood and desire to masturbate among boys, thus helping to reserve their health and virility for the appropriate sexual expression of procreative sex in marriage.

Circumcision has also held strong affiliations with some religious traditions, in particular Judaism, as well as Islam. The majority of Jewish families condone circumcision of their male children during infancy. Traditionally, Jewish boys were circumcised by a mohel during a ceremony called the brit milah or bris milah, which is commonly referred to as a bris. Today, however, increasing numbers of Jewish families are choosing to have their sons' circumcisions performed by medical professionals. Adult men who chose to convert to Judaism may be mandated to be circumcised or if already circumcised may undergo a symbolic circumcision, in which the loss of a drop of blood is required where the foreskin would have been. Among Islamic males, circumcision age varies from infancy through adulthood, depending on cultural affiliation, although frequently it will be performed at or before puberty.

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