The first half of the international society firmly opposing the circumcision procedure usually names the following reasons to stand up against it: prejudice and cultural significance, the marital status, age, the social pressure, ethical factor. For example, some people refuse to get circumcised because they believe it will somehow distinguish them from their friends and relatives who are not circumcised. Moreover, they are afraid to find themselves referred to some other nation or culture since they believe circumcision is “a practice of other ethnic groups” (Macintyre et al., 2014, para. 18). Thus, people care about the cultural affiliation aspect.
The other factors mentioned to be the reasons against circumcision are the marital status and age. A great number of people, seemingly, avoid circumcising if they are old enough and already married. The marital status is likely to be some protection that implies that this procedure is “no longer necessary” (Macintyre et al., 2014, para. 27). Being “old” in this case seems to be a good motive to think about the health risks that are usually inevitable for almost any surgery.
Speaking of the social influence, one can assume that in countries with a high rate of circumcision procedures, people who are not eager to get circumcised are under pressure. Sometimes they are called “dirty, uneducated and out of fashion” (Layer et al., 2013, para. 18). In this case, some people will change their minds and go for the procedure, while others will continue opposing it, feeling neglected.
Ethical factor seems to be another reason for people to oppose circumcision. According to Frisch et al. (2013), “a majority of newborn male infants undergo the procedure in the United States” (p. 796). Since it is widely advised to place newborns under the procedure rather than adults, the society proclaims such surgeries unethical. Activists state that children are not able to give a written consent for the surgery, so it is unethical for parents to make such a decision. The strong opposition to the newborn circumcision demonstrates the ethical factor that encourages people to stand up against the procedure.
While one half of the society keeps resisting circumcision, another half strongly supports the procedure and speaks out for it. The leading factor that motivates people to get circumcised is the disease prevention. Society trusts facts and figures, that is why American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) conducted a very accurate research to deliver the updated figures on the circumcision issue. Today, AAP is likely to treat this procedure more positively. The specialists of the Academy released the policy statement indicating that circumcision has become safer now, and benefits outbalance the possible risks. Also, it seems that circumcision can prevent certain diseases, for example, sexually transmitted infections, genital herpes, penile cancer, and so on (Frisch et al., 2013). It demonstrates the factors that cause people to support circumcision.
The last but not least reason for circumcision is the religious factor. In Judaism, this procedure has been common for a long time. In Islam, almost all male Muslims are circumcised. Both Jews and Muslims make reference to Genesis 17 when asked about circumcision. This Genesis contains the specific instruction for Abraham, which specifies that every male has to be circumcised (Bible Gateway, 2017). Thus, religion seems to be the second reason for people to support the idea of circumcision.
References
Bible Gateway (2017). Genesis 17. Web.
Frisch, M., Aigrain, Y., Barauskas, V., Bjarnason, R., Boddy, S., & Czauderna, P,… Wijnen, R. (2013). Cultural bias in the AAP’s 2012 technical report and policy statement on male circumcision. Pediatrics, 131(4), 796-800.
Layer, E., Beckham, S., Mgeni, L., Shembilu, C., Momburi, R., & Kennedy, C. (2013). “After my husband’s circumcision, I know that I am safe from diseases”: Women’s attitudes and risk perceptions towards male circumcision in Iringa, Tanzania. Plos ONE, 8(8), e74391.
Macintyre, K., Andrinopoulos, K., Moses, N., Bornstein, M., Ochieng, A., Peacock, E., & Bertrand, J. (2014). Attitudes, perceptions and potential uptake of male circumcision among older men in Turkana County, Kenya using qualitative methods. Plos ONE, 9(5), e83998.