More of the joy of euphemism

I remember being a kid in Centreville, VA and laughing my ass off when Lorena Bobbitt cut off her husband's penis—just miles away in Manassas, VA. Today's Associated Press story about Bobbitt's acquittal on unrelated assault charges threatens us all with a new consensus as to how cuitting a man's dick off should be described:

Bobbitt gained fame in 1993 when his first wife, Lorena, SEXUALLY MUTILATED him. (My capitals)

This is an obscuring term. We can more or less figure it out for ourselves. Or we can decide not to figure it out, in which case we can ignore the fact that the man does, in fact, have testicles and a penis. This is a "sexual mutilation" of the press and its language. Do we need this many syllables? Is the word "penis" worth such complex evasion?

So dig this: Bobbitt gained fame in 1993 when his first wife, Lorena, cut off his penis. Does it hurt to think of it? Good!