Dr. Christine Northrup writes about how male infant circumcision is a risky, painful, and unnecessary procedure.

The sad truth is that throughout most of the 20th century, the American medical community has focused on finding reasons to remove the foreskin of newborn males instead of acknowledging Mother Nature's wisdom in including this highly sensitive tissue. Happily, more and more individuals are questioning circumcision's necessity and acknowledging its potential harm. Since 1980, the national circumcision rate has dropped by 30 percent, and an increasing number of physicians are finding the courage to refuse to perform the procedure.

Dr. Northrup points out that the male foreskin is richly innervated and hyperelastic and is there for a reason. The book Sex as Nature Intended It is referenced as a guide to explain why the foreskin is there and how it provides sexual pleasure for both men and women.

The primary pleasure zones of the natural (uncircumcised) penis are located in the upper penis, which includes the penis head, the foreskin's inner lining, and the frenulum--the hinge of skin that connects the foreskin to the head of the penis. When a male is circumcised, some of the most erotically sensitive areas of the penis are removed: the foreskin that normally covers the head of the penis (the glans) and some or all of the frenulum.