Read the entire article on the CRC web site at
https://www.circumcision.org/harmswomen.htm
How Male Circumcision Harms WomenRonald Goldman, Ph.D.Learn about the hidden negative psychological and sexual effects of circumcision and how these effects harm women in relationships with men. This article is based on research reports in the medical and psychological literature.
...MEN'S FEELINGS ABOUT CIRCUMCISION
To understand how circumcision may affect women in relationships with men, we need to know how circumcision can affect men. Current knowledge of male feelings about their circumcision is generally based on surveys published in medical journals, clinical experience, and reports from men who have contacted circumcision information organizations. These reports collectively include thousands of boys and men. Circumcision advocates dismiss these surveys and reports as "anecdotal."
In a medical journal survey of 546 self-selected men between the ages of 20 and 60 who reported circumcision harm, the following effects and feelings were noted.
Statements about circumcision from dissatisfied men include the following:
- anger, rage, sense of loss, shame, sense of having been victimized and mutilated
- low self-esteem, fear, distrust, and grief
- relationship difficulties, sexual anxieties, and depression
- reduced emotional expression, avoidance of intimacy
"I have felt a deep rage for a long time about this." Some of these circumcised men wish they had been given a choice at a later time rather than having it forced on them when they were too young to resist. Six medical societies in Australia and New Zealand and the British Medical Association recognize the long-term psychological risks of circumcision.
"Circumcision has given my life a much diminished and shameful flavor."
"I feel violated and abused."
This survey does not suggest that all circumcised males have such feelings or how common the feelings are, only that they persist in some circumcised males, and more research is needed. There are various possible reasons why we don't hear more from circumcised men about how they truly feel.
...
- lack of awareness and understanding that circumcision could be associated with their symptoms
- emotional repression to defend against uncomfortable feelings
- fear of disclosure because they may be dismissed or ridiculed