Most of us would agree that avoiding unnecessary surgical procedures is good practice–especially when it comes to infants and children. But in the United States, and a few other countries, the surgical procedure of circumcising newborn baby boys is a common practice.

Does circumcision promote the health & well-being of baby boys? Or is it just pediatric cosmetic surgery?

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The subject might make you squirm in your seat a little bit, but depending on who you talk to, you’ll get some very different viewpoints on the subject.

In this episode of the Survival Value Healthcast, the doctors sit down, cross their legs, and discuss the subject of circumcision from a cultural, medical, and historical perspective. If you’re a parent trying to decide whether or not circumcision makes sense for your child, listen-in for answers to some of your questions, and don’t be surprised if you come away with some questions you may not have even thought of asking.

Topics in this podcast include:

• Medical reasons for circumcision: cleanliness, sexually transmitted diseases
• The scientific basis for circumcision
• Intactivists
• Does circumcision promote healthier children and adults?
• How culture and psychology play into the circumcision decision
• Circumcision rates and trends in the United States versus other parts of the world
• The historical basis for circumcision and how the practice has changed over time
• The anatomy of circumcision
• Female versus male circumcision
• Where do all those foreskins go?
• Medicine’s wacky but true historical reasons for promoting circumcision: nervousness, schizophrenia and more

Related Resources:

No Circ of Michigan

On Circumcision: New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia

Circumcision Policy Statement by American Academy of Pediatrics

The Circumcision Reference Library

Circumcision – Brit Milah from the Jewish Virtual Library

Fleshing Out Change on Circumcision from the Jewish Weekly