Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed sparked immediate backlash Monday night after he appeared to compare routine infant male circumcision to irreversible gender surgeries for minors during a tense appearance on Fox News’ Jesse Watters Primetime.
Host Jesse Watters pressed El-Sayed on whether he supports sex-change operations for children. Instead of giving a direct answer, El-Sayed launched into a defense of medical freedom, arguing that “the government shouldn’t tell you what kind of health care you should have.” But when Watters pressed him with a pointed question about whether it’s acceptable for a parent to “slash his kid’s ding-a-ling off,” El-Sayed took the exchange in an unexpected direction, asking the host if he was circumcised.
When Watters pushed back, saying “circumcision is different than castration,” El-Sayed doubled down on the comparison. “I’m just saying that, yes, circumcision is surgery on a kid’s ding-a-ling. So if you really want to bring that up, you can. I just think you guys are really selective about how you want to talk about these things,” he said.
Watters responded sharply: “That’s wacky. Abdul, Michigan’s not going for that. That is sick stuff.”
Medical Community Rejects the Comparison
El-Sayed’s attempt to equate circumcision with gender surgeries contradicts decades of established medical evidence. Male circumcision is a routine, preventive procedure supported by major health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Three landmark randomized controlled trials conducted in South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda found that male circumcision reduces the risk of female-to-male HIV transmission by 50% to 60%. The procedure also lowers the acquisition of high-risk Human Papillomavirus (HPV) by 30% to 35%, significantly reducing the risk of penile cancer in men and cervical cancer in female partners. Infant circumcision additionally cuts the risk of urinary tract infections during the first year of life by 80% to 90% and eliminates painful conditions like phimosis and balanitis.
By contrast, gender-affirming surgeries for minors are the subject of ongoing medical debate, with several studies highlighting potential long-term risks. Critics argue that comparing a widely accepted, health-promoting procedure to the surgical removal of healthy reproductive organs is medically misleading and politically inflammatory.
Political Fallout
The exchange quickly reverberated across social media. Former White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson wrote: “After comparing himself to Jesus, El-Sayed compares castrating a child to circumcision. 2 for 2 on comparisons that make him look like an absolute insane person.”
Conservative commentator Libs of TikTok also circulated an unearthed clip showing El-Sayed advocating for gender procedures on children and for boys to compete in girls’ sports. In the clip, El-Sayed says, “Let the kids play. Trans rights are human rights.”
El-Sayed, a physician and former Detroit health director, has been a vocal supporter of transgender rights and has argued for expanding access to gender-affirming care. But his latest remarks have given ammunition to Republicans who paint him as an extremist, a narrative that could hurt him in a competitive Senate race.
The campaign of El-Sayed’s Republican opponent did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The El-Sayed campaign has also not issued a statement clarifying or walking back the remarks.
The incident highlights the heated political debate over gender-affirming care for minors, which has become a flashpoint in state and federal elections. Several GOP-led states have enacted bans on such procedures for minors, while Democratic candidates increasingly defend them as medically necessary.
El-Sayed’s comments, broadcast in prime time, are likely to follow him on the campaign trail. Whether they move the needle in Michigan’s electorate remains to be seen, but for now, his comparison has drawn sharp rebukes from both sides of the aisle.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-el-sayed-compares-circumcision-to-child-castration