Now It's Personal

It has come to my attention that ObamaCare proponents want to specify the configuration of the most intimate part of the anatomy for every newborn American male. That's right; they are promoting circumcision to reduce the spread of AIDS. Typical of government activism, it is a laudable goal and a lousy implementation.

Dear reader, we know what spreads AIDS, and it isn't foreskins. I am sorry to be so explicit, but AIDS is spread primarily through unprotected promiscuous (especially anal) sex, and the sharing of intravenous drug paraphernalia. Everyone should know how to avoid it. If not, here is an opportunity for an educational campaign.

It is true that the incidence of AIDS is somewhat lower in circumcised males, but that does not justify the pre-emptive amputation of perfectly healthy body parts without the victim's consent. The assumption (for the good of society of course) is that he may elect to engage in risky behavior later in life. Better to amputate the offending member than to take that risk. If this isn't an attack on liberty, I simply do not know what is.

In case you are one of the dwindling number of people who still believes that the foreskin is just an unhygienic flap of skin, this article should give you a much needed projectile Kool-Aid emesis. Whether you believe that the anatomy we are born with is the result of millions of years of adaptation and refinement, or intelligent design by God, the hubris of a government policy recommending a design revision without even asking its owner should offend you deeply.

Update: Some readers find this post offensive because I say that ObamaCare proponents are calling for forced circumcision. I should not have phrased it like that. What I want to say is that when government controls health care, these things have a way of becoming mandatory. Not in the initial bill, but when the program is actually implemented (by bureaucrats -- congress is long out of the picture). Doctors who do not conform to the constantly changing regulations and standards, or who do not perform the requisite number of each type of procedure will not be reimbursed at as high a level as those who do. This is not some hypothetical rant. It happens frequently. Look at the FCC, the FAA, the FDA, the EPA. I have firsthand experience with the FCC as a radio engineer. You do what they want, or you have a devil of a time come license renewal. I was always a conformant little citizen, so our renewals came through with flying colors.