The Unkindest Cut

The Unkindest Cut Audience: Those people who are undecided about circumcision Routine neonatal circumcision is the subject of many debates in the United States. The practice has attracted passionate advocates and critics. From a global perspective, most of the world does not practice circumcision; over 80% of the world's males are intact (not circumcised). Most circumcised men are Muslim or Jewish; the USA is the only country in the world that circumcises most of its male …

…and of little interest in societies that do not. Close psychological and social examination could threaten personal, cultural and religious beliefs of circumcising societies. Consequently, circumcision has become a political issue in which the feelings of infants are unappreciated and secondary to the feelings of adults, who are emotionally invested in the practice. Awareness about circumcision is changing, and investigation of the psychological and social effects of circumcision opens a valuable new area of inquiry.