Do Men Experience Life-Long Trauma from Being Circumcised as Infants? Yes, According to a New Study Indicating That Circumcision Results in Physical and Emotional Harm
Many Respondents Thought They Were the Only Ones with Such ‘Defects’
Tarrytown, NY—March 22, 2017
Today, Intact America Executive Director Georganne Chapin hailed the results of the first comprehensive study, co-authored by a board-certified urologist and a human rights activist, that demonstrates the long-term adverse physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological outcomes experienced by men who were circumcised as baby boys.
The University of Texas IRB-approved study, which surveyed 1,008 men, was published last month in The International Journal of Human Rights. Titled “Long-Term Adverse Outcomes from Neonatal Circumcision Reported in a Survey of 1,008 Men: an Overview of Health and Human Rights Implications,” the article was written by Tim Hammond and Adrienne Carmack, MD. Mr. Hammond created the Global Survey of Circumcision Harm, upon which the article is based. Dr. Carmack is a board-certified urologist and member of the Intact America Board of Health Professionals.
Ms. Chapin, in citing the significance of the study, called for more in-depth research to further explore the life-long harm caused by male infant circumcision, as expressed by circumcised men in the self-reported survey. She urged the public to read the study with an open mind, and consider that “circumcision is performed on baby boys who cannot consent to a procedure that not even the American Academy of Pediatrics says is medically necessary.”
Intact America is the largest national advocacy group working to end involuntary circumcision in America. According to Ms. Chapin, the American public has not been willing to listen to what many men have been saying for decades – that circumcising baby boys negatively affects their future sexual and emotional health as adults. “We have always known that babies feel excruciating pain when their foreskins are forcibly removed,” she said. “This study shows that the men they become will bear the physical, emotional, and sexual pain for the rest of their lives,” Ms. Chapin said.
The 44-question survey asked men to describe physical abnormalities and sexual consequences that the researchers deemed to be the result of having been circumcised as infants. The survey covered other possible consequences, including the possible effect of circumcision on self-esteem.
Physical Abnormalities
The survey included photographs so respondents could correctly identify evidence of damage associated with circumcision.
Sexual Health
According to study co-author Dr. Carmack, circumcision can affect sexual health because the foreskin is the most sensitive tissue on the penis and supplies natural lubrication during intercourse, among other sexual functions. The respondents reported numerous sexual issues.
About Intact America
Intact America is the largest national advocacy group working to end involuntary circumcision in America, and to ensure a healthy sexual future for all people. Intact America is based in Tarrytown, New York. For more information, visit Intact America at www.intactamerica.org, on Facebook, and on Twitter.
