i know a guy who wants to circumcise his newborn daughter. should he be allowed to?

Question

parents have the right to circumcise their sons, right? it doesn't matter what the son wants, only what the parents want. and this guy REALLY wants his newborn daughter circumcised. (not her clit. just the lips.) so he should have that right as a parent, right?

he said it's partly for religious reasons, partly for aesthetic reasons. (he likes the clean lipless look). doctors told him that it won't benefit her health wise and that it will take away reduce sexual pleasure, but they also said that male circumcision does the same thing. so,,, what's the difference.

the europeans i know are outraged at the thought of this, but i figure americans will be different since you guys have no problem circumcising boys for religious and aesthetic reasons at the risk of giving them extrememly dull sex lives.

oh, and if you are a circumcised male, please don't say "my sex life is great". because you only think it is. you don't know any better. this girl won't know what she's missing either.

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WOW, a lot of you girls seem kinda upset. you're right. i already said that he's NOT DOING IT FOR HEALTH REASONS. he's doing it for religious and aesthetic reasons.

for those of you still living in the dark ages, BOYS are not circumcised for health reasons either, but rather........ aesthetic and religious reasons.

so why should this be allowed for boys but not girls??? either parents should have the right to mutilate their children to their liking, or they shouldn't.

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BETTIWITDABI and IT'S JUST ME,

he isn't a pervert. he just wants his daughter to look a certain way. how is this any different than when a woman says that she wants to circumcise her son so he'll have a "handsome penis". why makes that any less perverted??!!!!!

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TY,

great attitude. like father like son. gee, if you were crippled, would you break his spine so you could both have matching wheelchairs?

the truth is,,, this guys wife is missing her lips too (they're muslim). so that's probably another reason why they want to cut their daughter, so she won't ask stuff like, "why is mine different from yours, mommy?" ---- it's the exact same argument.

oh, and FYI, she doesn't mind that she's missing her lips. she says she doesn't notice anything bad about it. (how would she know though, right? i mean, if she's never had those parts, how would she even KNOW what she's missing.)

but you know what they say,,, you can't miss what you never had. at least,,, this is what people say about male circumcision and therefore why it's ok to reduces MEN'S sexual pleasure.

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HAPPY DANCE,

cool, you're against ear piercing for babies? i have a female friend who is super pissed off that her parents did that to her.

i'm against male circumcision too. (sadly, i had no choice in my own circumcision). i would love to see the process made illegal.

i think i've made a really good argument to this muslim guy i know, and his wife, and i think they might be second guessing their tradition, which is WONDERFUL!! (because it's a really bad decision.)

still, it's amazing to see the duality. people in america really think that the tradition of it makes it ok. see, they're just for their own culture, and not for anyone else's.

oh,, that,, and they actual think it's healthy. boy do they need to do some learning. all it does is reduce UTI's. that's hardly worth sacrificing all those specialized nerves for, if you ask me., especially in an age of readily available soap.

ALLY K,

we know what the foreskin does. therefore, we know what a man who's missing his foreskin will never be able to feel. this is the same way we are able to see the dangers of female circumcision. aside from this, there is no empirical evidence.

http://www.cirp.org/pages/anat/

also, male circumcision might cut down on UTI's but a presents a lot more health problems than it solves. the AIDS and cervical cancer studies are highly unconvincing.

then there's the mental trauma. just think about what is being done here. if you burn a six month old with a cigarette, you're going to mentally scar him. now imagine removing a piece of PENIS SKIN to the point that a wide ring of muscle is actually exposed to the air. THIS IS CHILD ABUSE. so ultimately, it's not medically healthy, but rather MEDICALLY HARMFUL.

so why allow it to happen to boys but not to girls? that's just a culturally biased double standard.

Answer 1

I live in the good old U.S. of A.

And I am against male circumcision. I think it's a ridiculous, old-fashioned trend started because of sexual taboos and the idea that sex is "dirty".

It's possible to keep an uncircumcised penis just as clean and infection-free as a circumcised one. With circumcision, there's always the risk of infection or improper healing, loss of sensation, etc etc.

My son (due November 27) will not be circumcised. If he chooses to at a later date, that's his decision.

NOW. That said. I personally don't think female circumcision OR male circumcision should occur until the female/male is old enough to make her/his own choice (say, 18 years old?).

BUT. In the good old U.S. of A., where male circumcision comes from the Judeo-Christian commandment for BOYS to be circumcised (no mention of GIRLS in the "Bible"), of course it's going to be looked at differently for girls. It will then be a "pagan" or "horrible" idea, simply because it's not been commanded by religious text. And because "God said" parents should circumcise their boys, everyone hops to it and gets chopping, and thinks nothing of WHY. It's that blind-faith thing, religious fanatacism. I'm against it.

It's all crap, I think parents should leave their son's penises alone, their daughter's earlobes as well, etc.

No one should have the right to mutilate their child's anatomy, anywhere on the body, no matter how "small" the body part, or how "insignificant" or "religiously recommended" the procedure.

Answer 2

who says male circumcision diminishes sexual pleasure? show some empirical evidence that proves this. Are you uncircumcised? If you have a great sex life, how do you know this has anything to do with it? And how do know circumcised males only think they have great sex lives? If you are circumcised and have sexual problems, how do you know this is the reason? Are you having issues because you were circumcised and it wasn't your choice? Then you need to take this up with your parents and get some counseling to learn to deal with this. And to answer your original question, no--this father has no right whatsoever to do this, because there is empirical evidence female circumcision diminishes female sexual pleasure; actually it makes it non-exist ant. And another thing: studies have shown that the build-up of smegma around the foreskin of uncircumcised males may cause cervical cancer in women. Don't believe me? Check the Alan Guttmacher Institute for Women's Health, or books by physician David Reuben. And your friend IS a pervert and a sick bastard! Addendum: About the cancer risk: if you were a woman, is it a chance you would be willing to take? And if there is no empirical evidence of diminished sexual satisfaction, then you are making claims you can't support. Produce some evidence: either put up or shut up. And this is still about your issues that you need to deal with.

Answer 3

I've heard of this. I think it's called a labiectomy.
I usually refrain from making judgements of right and wrong, especially as it applies to various cultural practices... But in this case, because it is unnecessary for any reason other than aesthetics, and because it can cause complications later in life, I am inclined to say this is wrong.
Circumcision of infant boys is probably also wrong.

If SHE decides that SHE "likes the lipless look" this is a procedure she can have done as an adult, when she is old enough to make that decision on her own.
What her DAD finds attractive concerning a woman's genitalia really shouldn't be applied to his daughter. Eew.

Parents : leave your childrens' things alone.

Answer 4

From what I know, men are circumcised for health reasons....for one they can get infections if not careful. This man is sick and social services should be called. He is mutilating her and that is wrong regardless of religion....also, what does he care what her "lips" look like? He should only be looking in that area when changing a diaper. This man is sick, and I hope his wife does NOT agree with this. This girl would know what she is missing later on in life when she is talking with friends and when her husband leaves her because sex is non-existent and gives her no pleasure at all. Hello! I'm glad everyone else is as outraged as I am.

Answer 5

Well, for males there is a bit of a health concern. (Just hygine... But its not a super big health concern). I think some Jewish families do it for relgious reasons.

As far as I know girls aren't circumcised for relgious reasons. And, I don't think the father hsould do it because it has no real reason except for the way it would look. And he doens't really need to care about the way she looks down there! Once she stops using diapers he doesn't need to see down there!

By the way, I am American, and I'm slightly outraged. I'm a woman too.

Answer 6

It shouldn't happen to either sex but doing that to a girl is just wrong. the recovery i'm sure would be a lot worse from female circumsision. What should the father care what she looks like. He shouldn't be looking. If later on the girl wants it done then let it be done then. And honestly it is not noticable like males. She won't be able to tell she is different to her mum as it is more hidden than with men

Answer 7

This man is crazy and DSS should step in. Men are circumcised traditionally as well as for cleanliness and they DO NOT lose any feeling and have extremely satisfying sex lives. In some primitive towns, women are circumcised specifically to take away sexual pleasure so they will not seek out men. Men in the tribes dominate and this is done to insure women won't run off. It's primitive. I would want to know why this man is so concerned about how his daughter will look. He sounds like a pedophile.

Answer 8

I have never even heard of such a thing as wanting to "circumcise" a female's "lips"! That is outrageous! Men who are not circumcised can give their sexual partners bacterial infections, but as far as I know, there is no risk of such things with women's genitalia due to their "lips"!!!

Why in the hell would her Dad care what she looks like down there anyway, unless he is a sick pedophile!

This question makes me irate!

Answer 9

well I am a guy and we(joint decision) got my son done. I think it will be less confussing for both of us(son and I) in the long run. like daddy..why am i different. Yes it is painfull for them, but we think it is cleaner for him and easier for us to clean as well. But as for getting a girl done I have not heard of this at all. Trying to fig this out my wife cringed and said she hasnt heard of it either. We are Canadians and you have to pay to get this procedure done as they(hospitals) are leaning towards uncerqs. But on the funny side my wife thinks the undone penus looks like ceral sneer from the cartoon "The Racoons" its just not her bag.

Answer 10

Dude, woah, back up...okay, want to know the truth? It will torment her her whole life. there's a book about a girl who had that happen to her and it's extremely painful and annoying and is NOT a good thing for a girl. Besides, for guys it's a health issue, for girls it's un needed.