Landmark new study reveals the mental harms of circumcision

Why it’s time we break the silence and listen to survivors

Image by Anton Vierietin licenced through Shuttertock.

Circumcision is often presented as a routine medical procedure, a harmless cultural or religious rite of passage. But what if it weren’t so simple? What if for some it left a scar deeper than the one on their body? A new study by Leeanne Morris published in Culture, Health & Sexuality, challenges society’s silence on the mental harms of circumcision.

Through a series of in-depth interviews, Morris amplifies the voices of men who have experienced mental health impacts from medically unnecessary childhood circumcision. Her findings reveal experiences of grief, trauma, and struggles with identity, which many circumcised men find difficult to articulate, let alone find support for.

The ‘unspoken grief’ of circumcision

Morris identifies three overarching themes in her research, with the first and most profound being disenfranchised grief. When acknowledged by society, grief allows people to process loss. But for these men, their grief is unrecognised, silenced, and at times ridiculed.

Some tried to speak to their families about their circumcision only to be met with dismissal or even laughter.