Circumcision has existed among the Muslim and Jewish communities for centuries. In the latter part of the nineteenth century however, somebody came up with the bright idea performing genital mutilation on both male and female babies was a good way to prevent masturbation. This idea quickly took hold in Victorian England, and spread rapidly to other English-speaking places around the world. It didn't work. England abandoned the idea in the 1940's. In North America though, circumcision rates kept on increasing.
90% of circumcisions in the United States are done for non-religious reasons. They are done because parents want their chile to look the same as everybody else, or because they want the kid to look the same as the father. There is in fact no good reason to circumcise a child. There are a few people with strong religious convictions, who find it necessary to circumcise. But many Jewish and Muslim people, even though traditionally circumcisers, are now turning away from the practice.
What are the benefits of circumcision? There are some medical reasons, such as a smaller chance of getting a urinary tract infection, or penile cancer. These medical reasons have never been proven however. No medical association in the world says that there are medical benefits to circumcision. Only the American one says something similar to that, and they advise against pursuing circumcision for medical reasons alone, which is pretty much like saying nothing at all.
And the drawbacks? Well, as with any kind of surgery, there are potential complications. There are few statistics kept, but estimates range from 2-10% of circumcisions develop complications. In one case, a circumcised child became gangrenous, and to prevent the gangrene from spreading, all of the child's skin between his knees and his navel had to be flayed off. Ouch! And circumcision hurts! Practitioners do not use anasthetics when performing the procedure. Infants experience pain more intensely than adults. Ouch again! Some infants are so overcome by the shock of the pain, that they do not cry. These are or were thought to be cases of babies that did not feel pain because they were too young or something. Babies who were circumcised, are less likely to feed and less open to interaction than those who retain their entire penis. There are a variety of long term effects, both physical and emotional that stem from circumcision. Oh, one other thing. Circumcision reduced sexual pleasure. Most men who underwent circumcision in adulthood experienced a significant loss in sensitivity and enjoyment of sex. Not very many are positive effects. All in all, a pretty impressive list of drawbacks.
Here's another strike against it. It's done on infants. There are no clear medical benefits. The infants did not get to choose. Technically, this could constitute assault. Morally, it seems very wrong. In Canada, female genital mutilation is banned by law. There is currently agitation to change the law because it is sexist. It does not include male genital mutilation. Many people are aghast that such a change would even be contemplated. Interferes with fundamental religious practices is the common argument. Well, guess what, female genital mutilation is also fundamental religious practices among some peoples. Because the people who happen to practice circumcision are Jews and Muslims, we should accept it? Not likely. Granted, female mutilation is far more destructive. But try telling that to the fella who got gangrene. All genital surgery for non-medical reasons should cease immediately. If an adult wants to get the surgery for himself, that's fine. Because he gives his consent freely. Babies don't have that option. And you know what? I'm betting that if they were given the option, there's a good few babies who would opt to leave their dick intact.