Consent to Circumcision
A survey by James Badger
Researcher’s Report:
What was the objective?
This survey concentrated on the much narrower topic of consent to circumcision. The sample size was much larger - 5000 men aged 16 to 49 years.
Results:
Table 1 : Are you circumcised?
| Yes |
78% |
| No |
19% |
| Don’t Know |
3% |
Table 2 : When were you circumcised?
| At birth |
72% |
| After puberty |
16% |
| Before puberty |
12% |
Table 3 : If circumcised at birth, who made the decision?
| Doctor |
32% |
| Both parents, together |
19% |
| Mother |
17% |
| Father |
6% |
| Don’t Know |
26% |
Table 4 : If circumcised after birth, who made the decision?
| Both parents, together |
42% |
| Mother |
24% |
| Wife/Girlfriend |
14% |
| Me |
9% |
| Other |
5% |
| Father |
4% |
| Don’t Know |
2% |
Table 5 : Whose opinions counted in this decision? (Total exceeds 100% because some respondents gave more than one source)
| Was not my decision |
57% |
| Wife/Girlfriend |
26% |
| Both parents, together |
19% |
| Doctor |
17% |
| Father |
11% |
| Mother |
10% |
Table 6 : If the decision was not yours, are you happy that you were circumcised?
| Yes |
46% |
| Don’t Care |
38% |
| No |
16% |
Table 7 : If you have (or intend to have) sons, have you/will you circumcise them?
| Yes |
63% |
| Undecided |
26% |
| No |
11% |
Conclusions
The single most interesting fact about this survey is this: 84% of men who were circumcised without their consent are either happy or have no opinion about their circumcision status. The anti-circumcision lobby would have you believe that all circumcised men are mourning the loss of their foreskins, but the findings of this survey show this not to be true. Interestingly, whilst 16% of the men indicated they were circumcised without their consent and were unhappy about being circumcised, only 11% would not circumcise thier own sons. This appears to show that, even though these guys say they are unhappy about being circumcised without their consent, they would still circumcise their own boys.
Acknowledgements
The following resources were used in the preparation of this web page:
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