We in the good ol’ U.S. of A do it a whole lot too. For Americans it’s the consequence of the medical community’s belief that circumcision has health benefits. For quite some time, the belief has been circumcision has health benefits—it’s more hygienic and it helps to lower the risk of coming into contact with STIs because of the increased amount of mucous membrane on the foreskin—that outweigh the risks. This feeling has changed over time. The medical community has a tendency to change its mind, and since the 1970s, it has regularly shifted between the opinions that circumcision is worth it or not worth it—leading to rising and lowering rates.

As of now though, more parents are choosing to leave the foreskin intact and not circumcise their children. This might be because of a cultural shift. A lot more people are taking sexual pleasure into consideration as a part of overall sexual health. The foreskin keeps the glans of the penis (or the head) moist and many people report increased pleasure; however, that’s wicked hard to quantify. Not too many people get cut on a whim just to report the difference in sexual pleasure.