It's a procedure that's mostly associated with religion, and remains a cultural practice across several backgrounds.
More recently a new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics has seen a small but vocal movement of Australian doctors pushing for circumcision to be routinely offered for health reasons, including hygiene and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections.
But a lack of consensus remains about the best age for it to be undertaken, and whether it should be decided by the parents, doctors, or the patient himself.
“As a child I suffered from a tight frenulum, which prevented the full retraction of my foreskin,” writes Karl Williams. “While I did not suffer the nightmare of recurrent infections, it was certainly no picnic.”
Williams was 15 when he started seriously considering circumcision.
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“During my three year period of research I even went as far as to wear my foreskin back, in order to allay my fears of losing sensitivity or experiencing diminished pleasure. After several months, realising that my pleasure and sensitivity were the same, I decided that I wanted to be circumcised.”
For others, the decision was made for them. Elwyn Moir is currently in the process of trying to “restore” his foreskin – a procedure he says far more men are undertaking than cosmetic circumcision.
“In my mid-twenties, my GP supported my decision to restore my foreskin,” he writes.
“He referred me to a specialist urologist who supervised and advised on my plan to manually stretch my remaining foreskin tissue back into the form of a full foreskin, just as many adults choose to stretch their ear lobes.
“My parents wanted the best for me, and like any parents did the best they could with the information they had. By sharing my experience, I hope to give voice to the countless unseen men who do complain about having their sexual anatomy altered needlessly when they were too young to hold an opinion, or mount opposition.”
To hear more from Karl and Elwyn, as well as medical experts and parents faced with the decision, check out tonight's Insight at 8.30pm on SBS ONE.
