Believe it or not, I suspect the pendulum on this is about to swing back in favor of circumcision. Why? I think it has a lot to do with the STD prevention benefits, which are not inconsequential. You do not have to be gay to contract HIV by “sticking it” in an HIV+ person. Ask most of Africa. There is a strong movement from WHO to encourage circumcision in countries with very high heterosexual HIV transmission. In circumcised males the female-to-male transmission is extremely low, even if the female has a relatively high viral load. I took care of a sero-discordant couple last year who conceived the old fashioned way, and he remains negative even after several years of unprotected intercourse. Marital life with condoms is not too appealing to a lot of people.

I agree that children today who are not circumcised are less likely to be teased than when I was a kid if they’re not circumcised, since many more boys these days are not having it done. The American Academy of Pediatrics is still officially listing the procedure as elective, and that has had a huge impact on the number of procedures performed, as many insurance companies and Medi-Cal wont pay for it.

As an obstetrician I don’t have a personal feeling on the subject, but the read I’m getting on the medical literature is starting to again favor circumcision based on the STD benefits. If you think this isn’t a factor consider this: that Hep B series your kid needed before they went to school is done in anticipation of adolescent sexual activity.