To Circumcise or Not?

Should uncircumcised men in America heed clinical studies showing that adult male circumcision in Africa can decrease the liklihood of an HIV infection by as much as 60%?

The last time circumcision made headlines in New York City, the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene was objecting to an ultra-Orthodox Jewish practice in which mohels -- professional circumcisers -- sucked blood out of the wounds of newly cut infants. After three babies contracted herpes, the city tried to ban the obscure ritual in 2005, provoking an angry response from the Orthodox community and a media dust-up.

Now circumcision is news again in New York, but this time the city is promoting the practice.

The move comes after several clinical studies in Africa showed that circumcision of an adult male can decrease his likelihood of infection by as much as 60 percent.

Though about 60 percent of American men are circumcised, the practice is relatively rare worldwide.