Studies in the past had found that circumcision can help to reduce the transfer of HIV by about half in heterosexual partners, but the same may not be true for homosexuals engaging in unsafe sex.
The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study using more than 50,000 men in Africa that shows little change in the rate of HIV infection among those circumcised and those who are not.
Remember, this study does not say it can’t help but that any effect seen is ‘not statistically significant.’
And of course, with any study there needs to be more research and duplication of the results before we can truly derive anything from it, though it was peer-reviewed by professionals in the field.
– Andy
They’re absolutely determined that circumcision has to be good for something, aren’t they? Never mind that a result is non-significant – i.e. NO protective effect – we’ll take that as a maybe: “…there needs to be more research and duplication of the results.” Cutting off half of the skin of a man’s penis – and the most sensitive half – is regarded as ethically, medically and sexually neutral, to be done as casually as picking up a bottle of pills from the chemist.
Circumcision is inextricably mixed up with a huge variety of cultural factors that seem to act like a Black Hole, sucking people into it. Leaving penises alone, not doing anything, has to be defended as if that, and not cutting part off (with all its risks and inevitable harm), was the strange and outlandish thing.
And they’re NOT asking all the questions about the possible harm of circumcision – for example whether the hardened glans is more likely to create the micro-tears that facilitate the entry of HIV, or whether circumcised men become more vigorous/violent in intercourse as they try to stimulated their dramatically reduced number of nerve endings (there is ample evidence from US vs European porn that they do).
How the years go by and still not ONE medical organization in the WORLD endorses male circumcision. This is the most outrageous thing done to children both male and female. A rape of the worst sort. In the US, underage females have been protected since 1996 from even drawing a drop of blood for ritual circumcision. It’s time for males to be just equally protected. This is a no brainer guys for EQUALITY in law. support the current bill submitted to congress, MGMbill.org.