On Sep 2, 2012, at 10:46 AM, Andy wrote:
>
>
> It was only a couple of months ago, I think, at PZ Myers's blog that I
> noticed there are people out there who get really upset by
> circumcision. Myers's angle of course is his disdain for religion,
> but what was interesting in the comments was dismissal for the
> medical case as well (the WHO and CDC view it positively on balance).
> The recent position change of the APA (to that the marginal benefits
> outweigh the marginal risks, but not enough actually encourage the
> practice)...
The "medical case" is that the "marginal benefit" of nonconsensual penile excision consists of a lessened probability of contracting AIDS during each episode of unprotected sex with an HIV-positive African prostitute. There are no others. In view of the fact that it is inconceivable such a ridiculously "marginal" issue would lead the Official Health Authorities to even take up the subject were it not of such overwhelming importance to Islamic and Judaic Orthodoxy, "disdain for religion" could not be more appropriate.
Shane Mage
"scientific discovery is basically recognition of obvious realities that self-interest or ideology have kept everybody from paying attention to"