Tuesday, January 16

Male circumcision helps them avoid getting HIV

Or so says an article I found while trying to get the text of the Prevention First Act.

Weird.

The idea of encouraging lots and lots of people to alter their bodies to avoid one problem when we don't fully know what problems it might increase their chances of squicks me out.

Then again, that's common medical practice. In fact, it's common "naughty bits" medical practice. Women have been advised to do it for years.

Lots and lots of female people have been encouraged to alter their bodies to avoid pregnancy when we didn't fully know what problems it might increase their chances of...and even now that we know, it's still common medical practice to keep encouraging them to do it anyway.

Lots of feminists claim that the traditional reluctance to encourage lots and lots of men to do things with their genitals, hormones, etc. to avoid problems (such as unwanted pregnancy of a partner) is outrageous sexism.


So should we just be glad that at least some human beings are getting treated right by "common medical practice" and keep fighting to get "common medical practice" to stop being so nasty and deadly with the advice it gives to women?

Or is there some inherent value to encouraging these kinds of risky behaviors, as supporters of hormonal birth control have argued for years, that we should be glad that male human beings are finally getting to be the subject of?

6 comments:

Sage said...

If we remove all appendices at birth, we can radically reduce the risk of appendicitis too! Take out their tonsils while you're at it.

I've made it thus far intact and healthy.

Sage said...

Hey, I found this post before I read your comment at my place.

I was being glib above. I'm actually quite adamantly against circumcision. A few men have problems down the road and have to get their foreskin removed anyway, but not enough to warrant mass surgeries of infants. If HIV is a concern, wear a condom and get to know your partner(s) really well.

The number of drugs inadequately tested then given to people is shocking: DES, first IUDs, original and later birth control pills, etc. How many women have to drop dead before someone gets arrested for these crimes?

However, I did get my tubes tied a few years back, to avoid continuing to take birth control pills. It's a lesser of two evils. I have no regrets on that one.

Also, by the way, I'm pretty teensy tiny as far as blogland goes, but if you want to get more people reading and commenting, and in case you've never heard of it (I don't think it's on your blogroll) Alas is a big blog, and I think Amp would really like the types of posts you write (particularly the MLK). Leave lots of comments there with a link or two back to your own posts, and he might take notice and link you.

Katie said...

"if you want to get more people reading and commenting, and in case you've never heard of it (I don't think it's on your blogroll) Alas is a big blog, and I think Amp would really like the types of posts you write (particularly the MLK). Leave lots of comments there with a link or two back to your own posts, and he might take notice and link you."

Thanks, Sage!

"I did get my tubes tied a few years back, to avoid continuing to take birth control pills. It's a lesser of two evils."

Yeah, I'm thinking about it, but since I'm all unmarried urban freebird lifestyle right now yet in a relationship with an urban freebird who might want a family someday, I'm going to wait on the tubes-tying until I've been able to make the decision (jointly with someone?) at a time in my life when I could support children if I decided to.

Y'know, I'm 90% decided on, "I'll adopt if I really want kids that badly!" but I feel like someone really special might appeal to that undecided part of me and make me discover a decision I never knew I had in me...so I'll leave my body open to it until I figure it out for sure. :-\

Sage said...

Good idea. Don't do any slicing and dicing before you're really sure. I went through a year of wanting it done before I was confident enough to make the appointment, then got pregnant right afterward getting clipped.

Life's a page-turner!

Anonymous said...

yeh i heard about this in the news

Katie said...

Hi, Mo! Glad to see you here. Have we talked on another forum/site or did you just drop in by chance?

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