Forty boys killed in botched circumcisions in South Africa , moratorium declared

[Liberal_in_LA]

Forty boys killed in botched circumcisions in South Africa
From: NewsCore July 01, 2010

BOTCHED circumcisions in South Africa killed 40 boys and put over 100 in the hospital this month, a health official said.

The boys, who were taken into rural areas and circumcised as part of traditional rites of passage, died from gangrene, dehydration and pneumonia, said Sizwe Kupelo, health department spokesman for Eastern Cape province.

Mr Kupelo said practitioners of the rite are often not trained to carry out the procedure and can circumcise up to 50 boys with the same knife without sterilising it in between.

"In some cases boys were not circumcised but mutilated," he said.

"They use herbs to clean, hence this thing becomes gangrenous and infected," he said.

Mr Kupelo said that the tradition was being exploited by young men in the eastern region of the province, rather than elders who should carry out the procedure.

"There's also an element of commercialisng this whole thing. There are no seasoned and experienced traditional surgeons. Everybody's just doing it for profit purposes and there's no proper coordination."

The latest death occurred on Tuesday in the town of Tsolo, where a 19-year-old initiate died shortly after being admitted to hospital.

The death toll prompted traditional leaders to declare a moratorium on circumcisions in parts of the province earlier this month.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/forty-bo...

[tabatha]

1. Oh dear, the profit motive messing things up.

However, I don't like the procedure, but that is my opinion.

[Codeine]

2. Top Tip:

Medical procedures should be performed by medical professionals, not some wacky dude with a dirty pocketknife.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

15. Apparently it was the herbs that did it.

According to the cited article.

Which is to blame: circumcision or homeopathy?

People have their genitalia pierced. I wonder where that falls in the scheme of things?

[customerserviceguy]

22. Yeah, piercing "down there"

really skeeves me out. Hell, I don't even like the idea of it getting caught in my zipper!

[jmowreader]

24. They don't pierce 40 dicks with the same needle...

and they definitely don't start with a dirty one.

These guys seem to be pulling out the same pocketknife they use to cut rope with, kinda sterilizing it by waving their zippo flame over it, and slicing off the foreskin--and if they accidentally cut the glans half off or they rip the foreskin away because the knife isn't all that sharp...oh well, it'll still make babies...

[Codeine]

31. My piercings have all been performed in sterile conditions

with absolute care taken to ensure safety and cleanliness. Only one has ever become infected, and it was entirely my fault.

[Hannah Bell]

27. "wacky". right. traditional practices are performed by wackos, western ones by "trained

professionals"

[Solly Mack]

3. Damn

[Soylent Brice]

21. my thoughts exactly.

[Karenina]

28. That's da boyz, here be da girlz

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

What's the ritual genital mutilation all about?

Girlfriend, the stupid, it BURNS.

Speaking of BURNS, how 'bout that Corexit, eh? They're always too cute by half with the names.

[Solly Mack]

29. It also kills. :(

[SunnySong]

4. 19 year olds are not boys... and honestly you would have an easier time

getting me to wear a Hamas vest than get circumscribed at 19.

[rfranklin]

5. Getting circumcised is even worse!

The sword is much more powerful than the pen in this case!

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. 'lesser evolved'? It's still done here

[Chulanowa]

8. Man, you're blowing that dog whistle so hard that the rank and file of DU can hear it

You got a set of lungs on ya!

[Hannah Bell]

23. delete

[Hannah Bell]

25. unlike highly evolved westerners, who do it as a fashion statement.

[Ignis]

30. DIAF, troll.

[scheming daemons]

9. Two words that make me want to throw up: Botched Circumcision

yikes.

[aquart]

10. 19????? OMG.

One infant at a time with anxious parents and grandparents looking on seems to be much safer.

[ZombieHorde]

12. 19 year old people have a choice, infants do not. nt

[Turbineguy]

11. deleted

[jaksavage]

13. genital mutilation

whether male or female should be banned.

[Maru Kitteh]

18. +1

[Romulox]

14. But this is DIFFERENT! They would have been able to enjoy sex!

(had they lived, that is...)

[Nuclear Unicorn]

16. It appears the herbs used in the ritual lead to an infection

Maybe its homeopathy that is to blame.

[Romulox]

17. Well then...so long as there's plenty of neosporin, we are all for genital mutilation

(on both sexes, naturally!)

Aren't we?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

19. I dunno

Is the intent to deprive those undergoing the practice some facet of the personal being, i.e. their sexual identity? I'm pretty dead-set against FGM because that is its only intent.

I don't think men--especially those who are of the age of consent--intend have their genitalia mutilated. What happened here was a common procedure going horribly wrong. For baby boys that's another issue as I am certainly sympathetic to arguemtns that it should be their choice when they get older. I can totally see the reason for saying that but even then circumcision, done properly, doesn't cripple the way FGM does.

What about people who have their genitals pierced? Would it matter if a person having their nipples or clitoris pierced did it for secular reasons of expression or religious reasons of devotion? I don't think so and I can't see anyone arguing to ban the practice even if there are occassionally extreme medical complications.

Depriving a person of a sexual identity for any reason, including religious reasons, seems heinous to me but what about vows of celibacy? I'm not going to go out telling nuns and buddhists and swamis to go get their freak on just to make me feel better.



Not picking a fight I'm just asking honest questions.

[Romulox]

32. I think your proposal of allowing genital mutilation or not based on motive

is unworkable.

I think you are searching for some alchemy that makes male circumcision "ok", but female circumcision "not ok".

circumcision, done properly, doesn't cripple the way FGM does.

The AMA was proposing a "clitoral knick"--no more debilitating that male circumcision. Problem solved, right? No, it's not, for the reasons I mentioned, above.

[Lilith Velkor]

20. Yeah, because circumcision prevents HIV!

I read it on DU every month or two, it must be true!

(Can't catch the AIDS if you're dead, amirite?)

[Robert DAH Bruce]

26. OUCH!