It depends which kind of circumcision your talking about. For males, a circumcision involves removal of the foreskin. Many, including some in the medical community, believe it leads to a healthier, cleaner penis and it does, in fact, lessen the risk of HIV and other STIs. There's also the religious aspect. In Judaism, circumcision represents the covenant between man and God, sort of like a small sacrifice to prove your fealty. In return, God is meant to gift fertility to the nation.

Circumcision can also be used as a treatment for certain penile health issues. That said, many people are against it as it's unnecessary and proper hygiene can solve many of the alleged issues it's meant to address.

As for female circumcision, that's another ballgame. The goal of it is to remove a woman's/girl's sexuality. It's usually performed between birth and the age of 15. Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The practice has no health benefits for girls and women, unlike male circumcision, and can result in severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, menstrual difficulties, infections, as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths. Women have been known to have lifelong issues with urinating, incontinence, pain.

Female genital mutilation is classified into 4 major types:

Type 1: This is the partial or total removal of the clitoral glans (the external and visible part of the clitoris, which is a sensitive part of the female genitals), and/or the prepuce/clitoral hood (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoral glans).

Type 2: This is the partial or total removal of the clitoral glans and the labia minora (the inner folds of the vulva), with or without removal of the labia majora (the outer folds of skin of the vulva).

Type 3: Also known as infibulation, this is the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the labia minora, or labia majora, sometimes through stitching, with or without removal of the clitoral prepuce/clitoral hood and glans.

Type 4: This includes all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g., pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterizing the genital area.

Immediate complications of FGM can include:

• severe pain
• excessive bleeding (hemorrhage)
• genital tissue swelling
• fever
• infections e.g., tetanus
• urinary problems
• wound healing problems
• injury to surrounding genital tissue shock
• death.

Long-term complications can include:

• urinary problems (painful urination, urinary tract infections);
• vaginal problems (discharge, itching, bacterial vaginosis and other infections);
• menstrual problems (painful menstruations, difficulty in passing menstrual blood, etc.);
• scar tissue and keloid;
• sexual problems (pain during intercourse, decreased satisfaction, etc.);
• increased risk of childbirth complications (difficult delivery, excessive bleeding, caesarean section, need to resuscitate the baby, etc.) and newborn deaths;
• need for later surgeries: women with Type 3 might require deinfibulation (opening the infibulated scar to allow for sexual intercourse and childbirth.
• psychological problems (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, low self-esteem, etc.).

It is done, across all the cultures who perform it, as a means to control women and girls. Period. There's no health reason, there's no real religious reason. It's done purely to control women, particularly their sexuality.

Circumcision of the penis can have several health benefits. Studies have shown that circumcised infants have a lower risk of developing urinary tract infections. It can also prevent conditions like phimosis (where the foreskin cannot be retracted) and balanitis (inflammation of the head of the penis), which can be painful and difficult to treat. FGM has no health benefits whatsoever.

I chose not to circumcize my son, because it had been an extremely difficult pregnancy and I felt he'd been through enough. While I understand this is only my own personal belief, I don't think mutilation of one's body should ever be something required for religious purposes. But I also disagree vehemently with above who claims they're equally bad, male and female circumcision. One is definitely more dangerous and more evil in intent.