Circumcision: The Unvoiced American Tradition

Paper Summary:

In this paper, the author explores the topic of male circumcision in America and sheds light on the reasons that it is a firm social norm in American society. The author raises the question as to just how and why circumcision came to be so prevalent in American society. To answer these questions the author first explores the historical and religious aspects of circumcision, then the contemporary medical research and debates and concludes with the psychological and sociological aspects of this procedure. He talks in depth about each aspect and concludes that with modern research being arguable either way, circumcision should cease being the silent American tradition and should be brought out of the closet where young parents can have open, reasonable discussions with their doctors. He believes that the American taboo of remaining silent about circumcision should be reversed; after all, he states, it is just foreskin.

From the Paper:

"One of the main similarities in these religious practices, and those of present day, is that circumcision almost always seems to take place at birth. It seems rational that modern day techniques simply carried on the Jewish tradition of male circumcision at birth. It seems to have always been hypothesized that infants do not experience pain in the first few days of life, therefore making it seem more reasonable to perform such a painful procedure at birth, rather than later in life. As the centuries progressed, there always seemed to be a medical rational presupposed by society for the Jewish tradition of circumcision. "It is important to note, however, that it was often historians and philosophers who made medical claims for Jewish circumcision rather than Jewish religious leaders."

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