It's Not Only a Matter of AIDS

Brit Milah [circumcision for the uninitiated - that a pun. the professional guild of circumcisers in England is called The Initiation Society](*) not only helps prevent AIDS, but it can be helpful for sexual relations.

The Jews win again!

I wrote about this before, that there was a study that circumcision may stop millions of HIV deaths.

But now, we go one step further:

Study: Circumcision Doesn't Reduce Sexual Sensation
New Research Fuels Continuing Debate Over Foreskin Removal

Excerpts:-

Controversial new research casts doubt on the long-held belief that circumcision reduces sexual sensitivity for men who have undergone the procedure.

Circumcision, a procedure performed throughout history, for reasons ranging from the fulfillment of a biblical covenant to a means of curbing masturbation [???], has received both praise by those who tout its supposed medical benefits and scorn from those who claim it has traumatic aftereffects.

Now, in a Canadian study appearing in the most recent issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, researchers found that the glans, or head of the penis, is just as sensitive on a circumcised man as on an uncircumcised one.

"It's probably the best study I've seen of this kind of work," said June Reinisch, the former director of the Kinsey Institute. Reinisch was not involved with the study.

...The American Academy of Pediatrics reflects that doubt in its official policy, which states: "Existing scientific evidence demonstrates potential medical benefits of newborn male circumcision; however, these data are not sufficient to recommend routine neonatal circumcision."

...While psychologist Kimberley Payne, one of the study's authors, said the research seems to refute the idea that the foreskin keeps the penis sensitive, she was hesitant to draw a broader conclusion from her study.

"This just scratched the surface [another pun?], and there is so much more to look at," she said.

She said ultimately she hoped someone would be able to measure the full range of sexual sensation in circumcised and uncircumcised men during sex, but was unsure how that would be done.

A Rising Controversy [this ABC reporter is having fun]

Anti-circumcision groups were quick to criticize Payne's study.

The International Coalition for Genital Integrity released a statement saying, "Poor research investigating the sensitivity of the intact [not circumcised] and circumcised penis does not serve men."

Missing the Point? [here we go again]

In the end, Reinisch said, circumcision will not affect a man's ability to be aroused or experience sexual pleasure.

"Nature has certainly provided an enormous amount of sexually sensitive tissue," she said, calling the brain the most powerful sex organ of all.

"I'm not suggesting everyone be circumcised," said Reinisch. "I'm suggesting that there are some benefits. & I believe it's really a personal choice."

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(*) Of historical interest, here's a site of those who contributed to the Initiation Society to permit widows to afford the cost of the circumcision in the 1880s.