Longterm Posttraumatic Stress (PTSD) Resulting From Genital Surgery in Minors

An estimated 650 million males and 120 million females living today have had part of their genitals amputated during infancy or childhood. Genital surgery performed on unconsenting minors (including both circumcision and sex-reassignment surgery) has been claimed by its adherents to cause few adverse psychological effects. However, mounting evidence now reveals that such genital cutting causes harm physically, sexually, and often psychologically. For example, among 313 men circumcised as infants, 75% reported psychological harm, 60% reported resentment, 54% reported anger, 50% felt violated, 47% felt inferior to intact males, and 43% believed that circumcision impeded sexual relations. Individuals circumcised as children or subjected to sex-change operations have often described their experiences in the language of violation, torture, mutilation, and sexual assault. In view of the possible long-term adverse effects on mental health caused by unnecessary genital surgery on infants and children, it is time to cease all forms of such non-therapeutic genital cutting.