Ritual circumcision is very different in the United States as compared to other countries in the world. Ritual circumcision, as defined by medical-dictionary.com is “a surgical procedure

for

removing the prepuce of the male in Jewish communities  or the labia minora  of the

female

in Muslim communities as areligious rite.” Although the Jewish circumcision method is very commonly around the world, not because of its religious roots, but because of its health benefits, female circumcision in confined to a small population in the Muslim community (with the exception of some communities in Africa and India). In the United States, male circumcision is not something that is heavily discussed as it has always been common and most males are circumcised at birth. Some people have started the discussion that circumcision at birth should not be allowed, as babies do not have the ability to make their own decisions. Personally, I see no problem with it as most males probably wouldn’t even think about it until they were of the age to start having sex and at that point, most males would probably want it anyways.

Female circumcision, which is “also referred to as female genital mutilation” is very common in the Muslim community. According to the World Health Organization, there are three types of female genital mutilation (FGM). These types are the following:

clitoridectomy, excision, and infibulation. Clitoridectomy is defined as “the partial or total removal of the clitoris.” Excision is defined as “the partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minor.” Finally, infibulation is defined as “he narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal” which sometimes also involves “the removal of the clitoris.” Unlike male circumcision, there are no known health benefits to female circumcision and it is only done for religious and social reasons. Furthermore, according to the World Health Organization “all it does it damage healthy and normal female genital tissue, and interferes with the natural functions of girls’ and women’s bodies.”

Male circumcision, as previously mentioned, has many health benefits and is being heavily promoted in Africa and other low-income countries for its ability to reduce STDs (most specifically, HIV prevention). However, in some situations such as in certain “coming to man-hood” ritual ceremonies, male circumcision can cause harm. This is because in some of these ceremonies, infections can occur which, if not treated, can cause serious long term damage to the genitals or even death.  In conclusion, female circumcision has no known health benefits and can cause major harm to the female body whereas male circumcision causes no harm to the male body (if done correctly) and has many health benefits. These benefits include prevention of STD’s, better cleanliness, and increased sensitivity.