Re: circumcision case/ US court

Anonymous Jane wrote

>> "Do you believe in infibulation for women? It's accepted in many parts
>> of the world that the removal of all those messy folds of flesh and a
>> nice, smooth genital area for women is much more hygenic and
>> esthetically pleasing."

> It's cultural, and that's not my culture. I am American and we don't
> practice female circumcision. So your question is kind of pointless.

The question isn't pointless, especially as the US is about the only "civilized" Western country to practise routine male circumcision. Even Canada has now long since ceased the practice of routine male circumcision and only a decreasing minority of boys are circumcised. Do you argue for male circumcision mainly because it's the US practice?

> But no I don't agree with female circumcision. I believe it's a
> barbaric practice to subjugate the women in those countries. It's
> akin to Chinese foot binding, and extremely tight corsets English
> corsets, and other female domination pracices.

But female circumcision is done on women by women and the women involved claim they want it.

> Male circumcision has no negative effects whatsoever for men;

Not true -- they end up losing between one third and one half of the skin of their penis.

> in fact,IMHO it makes them better lovers,

You're entitled to your opinion. Most women in the world would disagree, if only on the ground that a dry, leathery, relatively insensitive, glans is not the best thing to have shoved up one, if there's the option of a soft, sensitive, naturally-lubricated glans.

> cleaner people,

How so, when the glans is kept away from dirt by being covered and cleaned as regularly as the body is washed? On your argument, how do you defend the non-infibulation of women? Surely the folds of the labia minora and labia majora trap far more mess and are far more difficult to clean?

> and spiritually connected(b/c of the original reason for it being
> that God made acovenant with Abraham to bless him and his
> people/family.)

But it wasn't required before Abraham or after Christ and is not the practice of the Christian Church except in the US. It's not the practice of most of the world's Christian population to routinely circumcise males on religious grounds.