Ep 145 Circumcision: Why Roughly Half of Americans Perform This Ancient Ritual Without a Clear Reason
Jan 11, 2026•33 min•Ep. 145
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Episode description
In this episode I finally explore a topic I've wondered about for a long time: circumcision. How did an ancient punishment for prisoners turned religious ritual become a medical procedure carried out by over 80% of Americans? What triggered doctors to start recommending circumcision for all newborn boys starting in the late 1800s and why doesn't the rest of the world do it too? What about the ethical implications of performing a body altering procedure on someone without their consent? Is there really a good reason to do it? Or does a 5.4 billion dollar a year industry come into play? Let's fix that.
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Sources:
- UNAIDS "Male Circumcision: context, criteria, and culture"
- Journal of Pediatric Surgery "The evolutionary saga of circumcision from a religious perspective"
- Advanced Urological Care "Circumcision Revisited: An Historical Perspective"
- National Library of Medicine "Male genital representation in paleolithic art: erection and circumcision before history"
- Research Gate "High Cost of Circumcision"
- Wikipedia "Circumcision"
- Wikipedia "Prevalence of Circumcision"
- Johns Hopkins Medicine "Johns Hopkins Study: Newborn Male Circumcision Rates In US Dropped Between 2012 and 2022"
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