In Patagonia 2k years ago, it was common for people to modify skulls of babies
bbc.com
bbc.com
And of course it's not just ancient ... my parents had my head shaped (and my brothers') over several years with metal and rubber bands, mostly in my mouth but sometimes attached to a frame wrapping around my neck, being slowly tightened over several years before puberty.
Circumcision is a lightning rod issue partly because it is often performed for religious reasons.
One thing that's often overlooked when it's discussed, though: if the child grows up to be a woman (ie, transgender woman assigned male at birth), being circumcised makes gender reassignment surgery more complicated and difficult. It's still possible, but the doctors have less to work with for reconstruction.
Parents have a HUGE impact on children mentally, yet no one makes much of a fuss about that.
At the end of the day parents have full control over how their children will turn out, both mentally and physically.
We should only be concerned about the end result: Are they doing good, or bad. Nebulous concepts like "bodily integrity" are meaningless.
Obviously we would see squishing a head as bad, but there are other modifications that are not so cut and dry.
> I find infant circumcision little different from head-binding or foot-binding
Why? Using my principle, circumcision is neutral, it does no harm, and has a slight benefit. But foot-binding does clear harm. How do you justify considering them the same?
> Why? Using my principle, circumcision is neutral, it does no harm, and has a slight benefit. But foot-binding does clear harm. How do you justify considering them the same?
They are different degrees of severity of doing something to a person’s body that they can’t understand or consent to. With circumcision, there’s rarely a medical reason to do it, and it can have negative effects on sexual function, so I assess it as a net negative.
Source: http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/malecircumcision/en/
"There is compelling evidence that male circumcision reduces the risk of heterosexually acquired HIV infection in men by approximately 60%. Three randomized controlled trials have shown that male circumcision provided by well trained health professionals in properly equipped settings is safe. WHO/UNAIDS recommendations emphasize that male circumcision should be considered an efficacious intervention for HIV prevention in countries and regions with heterosexual epidemics, high HIV and low male circumcision prevalence.
Male circumcision provides only partial protection, and therefore should be only one element of a comprehensive HIV prevention package which includes: the provision of HIV testing and counseling services; treatment for sexually transmitted infections; the promotion of safer sex practices; the provision of male and female condoms and promotion of their correct and consistent use."
But when that person becomes a proper person and wants to make a decision to modify his/her own body, the opportunity may have been lost.
I've also heard that other cultures, like the back of the skull to be flat, and keep their babies head from turning with well-placed pillows.
FTA: "In 2009 a team of archaeologists found intreaguing remains at an ancient burial."
I didn't read any more. I expected better proofreading from the BBC!
Sorry for the digression, but my OCD kicked in :(