{"id":12941,"date":"2023-02-20T17:00:23","date_gmt":"2023-02-20T06:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/?p=12941"},"modified":"2023-02-21T17:41:23","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T06:41:23","slug":"why-i-wrote-a-book-on-circumcision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/20\/why-i-wrote-a-book-on-circumcision\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I wrote a book on circumcision"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"7fa6\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">I\u2019ve spent the last 10 years researching and writing a book on circumcision. The first question most people ask me is, quite simply, <em class=\"jc\">why<\/em>?<\/p>\n<p id=\"0047\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The short answer is that more than 1.2 billion boys and men are circumcised, but most of them didn\u2019t choose to be. Children regularly die or are left permanently disfigured by unnecessary cosmetic circumcisions, and hundreds of thousands of men are so unhappy with their circumcision status they are\u00a0<a class=\"ae jd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.darboninstitute.org\/foreskin_restoration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">restoring their foreskins<\/a>. Yet this is somehow still considered a fringe issue. It\u2019s time we changed that.<\/p>\n<p id=\"4010\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">It\u2019s been three months since\u00a0<a class=\"ae jd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.circumcisionbook.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\"><em class=\"jc\">The Final Cut: The truth about circumcision<\/em><\/a> was published. Since then major retailers like Barnes &amp; Noble, Booktopia, Target, Walmart and Amazon have sold copies in nine countries spanning four continents. Not a bad start.<\/p>\n<p id=\"69b4\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">I held the book launch in an art gallery. People came for the book, but as we were surrounded by other forms of art I was reminded of a poor, penniless Dutchman who in 1888 sat down in a street corner in France and painted what is now widely regarded as one of the best paintings ever made. The piece is called\u00a0<em class=\"jc\">Cafe Terrace at Night<\/em>. The artist of course was Van Gogh. Three months later he was committed to an asylum. Two years later he was dead.<\/p>\n<p id=\"1ad4\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">I found myself wondering how it could be that someone who is now universally considered to be one of the greatest painters to have ever lived could have been so harshly criticized, ridiculed and even despised during his time. How could they not see then what we all clearly see now? Was the whole world blind?<\/p>\n<p id=\"1bb6\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Not blind. Just blindly following the herd. Human beings are social animals after all. We do what\u2019s fashionable. We follow the prevailing wisdom even when it isn\u2019t wise. We let the group think for us because it\u2019s easier than thinking for ourselves.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"eb\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Excited to share that my new book, The Final Cut, will be released next month. I hope you can join me to celebrate the book\u2019s launch. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/circumcisionbook?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#circumcisionbook<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HckvXJruTl\">https:\/\/t.co\/HckvXJruTl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jonathan Meddings (@J_Meddings) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/J_Meddings\/status\/1581757469038039040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 16, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p id=\"4280\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">It\u2019s this way of thinking <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 <\/span>or, rather, not thinking <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013<\/span> that led people to blindly revile a now revered artist for being different. It\u2019s also what\u2019s led us to blindly accept the genital cutting of children.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ebd3\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">You\u2019d think with 1.2 billion boys and men alive being circumcised that there would be good reasons for this. And, yet, all too often the reason people give is that \u201cit looks better\u201d and \u201cit\u2019s just the done thing\u201d.<\/p>\n<p id=\"a54a\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">And if you were a physician in the 19th century the reason was to stop masturbation \u2014 they wrongly thought self-pleasure caused illness and that, by removing the most sensitive part of the penis, they could stop boys masturbating. Of course by dulling sensation they succeeded only in making boys work harder at it!<\/p>\n<p id=\"5696\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">While this so-called medical justification for circumcision has since largely been forgotten, many other medical claims have been advanced in recent times <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013<\/span> and I dedicate a chapter in the book to all of them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Suffice it to say that the medical benefits of circumcision are either negligible or non-existent depending on the specific claim in question.<\/p>\n<p id=\"0a32\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">And while the medical benefits are debatable, that non-consensual, medically unnecessary genital cutting is a breach of medical ethics and human rights is not up for debate.<\/p>\n<p id=\"8725\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Today, there isn\u2019t a peak medical body anywhere in the world that recommends routine infant circumcision for its supposed health benefits. Although some like the <a class=\"ae jd\" href=\"https:\/\/jonathanmeddings.medium.com\/the-racp-has-updated-its-position-on-circumcision-and-it-isnt-good-dbcb70ff20d5\" rel=\"noopener\">Royal Australasian College of Physicians<\/a>, worried they will draw the ire of religious people that circumcise, continue to pay undue respect to parental choice even for non-religious, cosmetic male circumcision procedures in an effort to avoid the issue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The double standard is obvious: they would never support parental choice when it comes to female genital mutilation, which is criminalised in Australia with no religious exceptions.<\/p>\n<p id=\"cfa4\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Some readers will be questioning that comparison. If you\u2019re one of them, then you have to explain how cutting off a boy\u2019s foreskin is different to cutting off a girl\u2019s foreskin. I\u2019ve been asking that question for 10 years and no-one has ever been able to answer it, because the fact is genital cutting practices exist on a spectrum with varying degrees of harm, and some forms of male genital cutting are similar to some forms of female genital cutting.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"89Nhc46WMnsldeCHobxGJPE\"><iframe title=\"RSA Webinar: The costs of cutting \u2013 Circumcision in modern Australia\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VxSEiJfiL7w?start=2&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"f4cd\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">More and more men are waking up to the harms of circumcision. The scars are physical, but for many they are also psychological. Globally most boys are circumcised when they are old enough to remember, and <a class=\"ae jd\" href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/r?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.psychologytoday.com%2Fau%2Fblog%2Fmoral-landscapes%2F201501%2Fcircumcision-s-psychological-damage%23%3A%7E%3Atext%3DStudies%2520of%2520men%2520who%2520were%2C1999%253B%2520Hammond%252C%25201999%29.\" rel=\"noopener\">many develop PTSD as a result<\/a>. But the mental harms of circumcision can also occur even if children are circumcised when they\u2019re too young to remember, because they grow up and learn what was done to them.<\/p>\n<p id=\"9240\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Many circumcised men are okay with it, and that\u2019s great. But many others suffer feelings of loss, grief, anger, violation, and even envy of intact men. I hope these men find closure and that they can forgive their parents for doing what they genuinely believed was the right thing to do <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013<\/span> what in many cases was also done to them. It\u2019s a difficult conversation, but we will only end this cycle of harm by not shying away from it.<\/p>\n<p id=\"3087\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">If I could impart one thing to you (aside from a copy of the book), it would be to maintain your child-like curiosity, to question everything, and to dare to be different. People ask me why I wrote the book, and the answer is as simple as that. I was curious. I asked questions. And I\u2019m not afraid to raise a few eyebrows or ruffle some feathers (respectfully, of course).<\/p>\n<p id=\"38c9\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph ie if gw ig b ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu iv iw ix iy iz ja jb gp bi\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">I don\u2019t know if society is ready to have this conversation about the harms of male genital cutting. I hope it is. I know one day it will be. And when that time comes this book will be there to hopefully give voice to what people are thinking and feeling but perhaps don\u2019t quite know how to express themselves, which is ultimately what good writing, like all good art, exists to do.<\/p>\n<p><b><i>This article was originally published on the author\u2019s\u00a0<\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/jonathanmeddings.medium.com\/why-i-wrote-a-book-on-circumcision-ef5014cc8ce7\"><b><i>personal blog here<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/JBfdCFeRDeQ\">Andrew Neel<\/a> on Unsplash.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019ve spent the last 10 years researching and writing a book on circumcision. The first question most people ask me<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":616,"featured_media":12946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[469,553],"coauthors":[536],"class_list":["post-12941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-health","tag-bodily-autonomy","tag-circumcision"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/616"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12941"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12947,"href":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12941\/revisions\/12947"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12941"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rationalemagazine.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=12941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}