if fgm is now illegal why is male circumcision still allowed?

[southeastastra]

pretty self explanatory by my title, but shouldn't it be a decision made when 18 and an adult?

it is very hard to get our heads around SirChenjin how could a mother let her daughter go through so much pain and pain that does not end but they are not in the position to change things

nicecarpet what utter rubbish

No, you're right - although I struggle massively with the thought that, despite it being illegal here, more women are not making a stand to protect their daughters. I suppose a bit like foot binding - it was a number of factors which brought about its demise, and maybe in time FGM will cease too.

That was to Enthusiasm obviously.

nice - what on earth are you on about?

nicecarpet is a twat

Those are the people who would probably be transwomen in this country

Did you read the whole thing? Many are forcibly castrated against their will....

Do you think SRS should be illegal then?

I am very concerned about the ethics of lopping off perfectly healthy body parts in order to assuage a mental disorder, yes. I am not convinced that the medical benefits outweigh the risks in that sort of case. However, I don't know enough about these peoples mental state before and after to judge.

This thread is nothing to do with SRS nor is it anything to do with being transgender it is about female genital mutilation and circumcision against the persons will.

describing being transgender as a mental disorder is wrong.

Well the men I know that had it done don't seem to think it's a big deal

Irrelevant really: they won't remember the pain of the operation and they've never known anything different. It still doesn't stop it being abusive.

What is SRS?

SRS = sex reassignment surgery, more commonly known as GRS gender reassignment surgery. Definitely not relevant to the OP though as consent is given.

Ah, got it. No, definitely not comparable.

From my link (my emphasis):

"In 1990, Dr. B.V. Subramaniam [3] of the Surat Medical College wrote a paper based on his research on the making of a eunuch. The study reported that most eunuchs in India were the result of forced castration. The method adopted for the surgery is crude, unscientific, threatening to the health of the patient and done in the most unhygienic conditions. The genitals of a normally born male baby are slashed off with a knife dipped in boiling oil. After dressing the wound, a nail with a string attached is tied to the waist and drilled into the stump, which would, with medication and time, begin to look somewhat like a female crotch."

Depends why the circumcision is being done - as part of a religious belief - not acceptable imo.

For medical reasons - OK.

Drtft so this might have been said but I think the comparable issue here is lack of consent. I don't think it's ridiculous, from a human rights perspective, to compare the two at all.

OK so all of you who say FGM is so much worse, please can I ask have you suffered from Genetalial mutilation?
I have and its shit. In East yorkshire in the 70's any problems with the foreskin were solved by circumcision.
A piece of skin protecting the end of the penis was sliced away.
I suffered from this procedure and still do.
You know nothing of the mental hurt and physical pain this "procedure" can involve.
So before you get on your high horses and say a circucision does not compare to FGM think.

whatthefuckdoyouknow I am sorry you are still suffering

if the procedure was done due to problems with the foreskin it was not done with the intention to control you in anyway

this is what the difference is

circumcision if done correctly should not cause physical long term pain

FGM will always cause issues and pain it is done to restrict women from enjoying sex

Except FGM is worse.

Circumcision may have it's risks and may cause suffering and pain and problems later in life. However that is unlikely. The majority of circumcised men go on to lead normal healthy lives.

The same cannot be said for FGM. The women who have in done will certainly have problems because of it throughout their lives.

Some women suffer terrible damage during childbirth. Really awful stuff that affects them for ever. But the reason for that damage is a bodged or imperfect medical procedure, just like yours whatthefuck. It is damage, it is awful for the person involved and it affects their life. It is not the same as FGM.

FGM is done for no medical reason. FGM is designed to stop sexual pleasure. It removes a woman's power and control over her own body. It is not the same.

There is a definite political agenda behind the push to compare FGM to male circumcision. That fact above all others has finally become pretty obvious to me. It's also pretty obvious which posters are sincerely attempting to weigh the benefits of circumcision against any potential harm and which posters are FMG apologists with their own motives for posting.

DF is circumcised. We're not from a culture that practices it but they did it at the US army hospital where he was born. I know it bothers him (and he's normally a very private person) but I fail to see how it can be compared to FGM.

There is zero comparison to FGM and no evidence that circumcision is detrimental to a man's enjoyment of sex. There is some positive evidence, though, that it protects against sexual disease transmission, especially HIV.

I am circumcised because, when and where I was born, it was considered medically the correct thing to do. I am from a Jewish cultural background but neither of my parents practised, and nor do I. I chose not to circumcise my own children because I did not want them to experience an operation as a newborn. However, I was and am very torn on the issue.

In the same sense as women should have primacy on women's issues, I feel that men should have primacy on issues which only affect men. I don't think many men feel strongly about circumcision, although there is a vocal minority against. And if women don't want to date:marry/shag circumcised men, they can look elsewhere, though I have never heard this to be an issue, except on this site.