She really does – and for good reason. In case you were wondering, the foreskin is a stretchy piece of skin that covers the head of the penis and its functionality is two-fold: protection and sex. When a baby boy is born, the foreskin is fused to the penis. By the age of 10, the foreskin will begin to detach (or may have already detached) and serves as a protective sleeve.
The foreskin is internally composed of mucous membranes that aid in maintaining natural lubrication and protects erotic nerve endings to prevent overexposure and desensitization. The foreskin contains 240 feet of nerve fiber and over 20,000 nerve endings. So if the foreskin has all these great uses and attributes, why does our society promote cutting it off? 8 out of every 10 Americans are circumcised. Worldwide the statistic is 3 out of 10 people.
Circumcision is the practice of cutting off the top half of a male’s foreskin and dates back 2400 BC. Many tribal cultures still use circumcision as a right of passage into manhood. A major reason the practice has survived into modern times is through religion, however, Laci sites 4 main arguments for the validity of modern circumcision:
1. It’s just cleaner that way! – Not true, says Laci. The foreskin isn’t inherently dirty and extremely easy to clean.
2. Circumcision protects against STD’s! – While research is divided on this claim, something that is less extreme than slicing off half of the skin on your penis is the use of condoms which provides 99% protection against disease.
3. Circumcised penises look nicer – There is nothing ugly about a natural penis.
4. His dad is circumcised so we got him done too – Some traditions don’t have to be continued!
Sometimes as circumcised men get older they begin to realize that infant circumcisions are not right and regret their parent’s decision to tamper with their body. Because it was done without consent it can feel like a violation. Laci recommends some healthy ways of dealing with these feelings.
