00:00 A man in San Francisco is proposing a referendum to ban male circumcision, arguing that it is genital mutilation and should be the choice of the individual, not the parents.

04:31 Over the past three decades, the rate of male circumcision in the United States has been falling, with a significant drop of 30% in the last decade, potentially due to the increasing presence of Hispanics who are less likely to circumcise their male infants.

09:05 The foreskin provides lubrication, sensitivity, and protection, but it can also cause problems such as smegma buildup, phimosis, paraphimosis, and balanoposthitis.

13:33 Circumcision can help correct problems such as phimosis, paraphimosis, and balanoposthitis, but it is rarely medically necessary and most circumcisions are customary, cultural, or preventative.

18:17 Circumcision is performed differently in different cultures and regions, with some performing it as a religious practice, others as a rite of passage, and some areas lacking trained professionals and proper equipment, resulting in increased risks and complications.

23:03 There are different devices used for circumcision, such as the Gomco clamp and the Plastibel device, and the recovery period for infants is about three to four days, while adults may require stitches and a couple of weeks of no sex; reasons for circumcision include religious or cultural beliefs, wanting the son to be like the father, fitting in with other boys, and potential health benefits such as lower risk of HPV, chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV.

27:38 Circumcision may lower the risk of HIV transmission from females to males, but the argument against it is that it is considered genital mutilation and unnecessary, with risks of scarring and infection.

32:20 There are non-surgical methods, such as stretching and inflating balloons, to recreate a foreskin, but one of the arguments against circumcision is that it takes away a person's right to choose and limits their options for restoring a foreskin later in life.

37:03 Female circumcision, also known as female genital mutilation, is seen as barbaric and has been condemned by the World Health Organization and the UN, but it still continues to happen in certain cultures and countries, including the US and Great Britain.

41:26 This section of the podcast includes unrelated stories about missing fingers and accidents in a metal shaping factory.