Should piercing childrens ears be considered child abuse?

Question

I find it quite disturbing to see a baby in a pushchair with earrings, I really think it should become law that no one should be allowed to have pierced ears til the age of consent. Besides the potential infection, it hurts like hell.

Mmmmmm alot of you out there! Well lets stick another pin in. Why get a baby's ears pierced if not for the pleasure of the mother. It has no religious or medical need. You cannot possibly compare it to a vaccination which is given to prevent illness or death. Admit it, you get your babies ears pierced for your own pleasure and to be cool or hip and trendy! You may as well have your child tattooed with, this child belongs to a moron!

Answer 1

I don't think it's child abuse--I think it's a case of ignorant parents. You're right about it being painful and having a risk of infection. Not to mention the baby could possibly rip the earrings out, causing scarring which could possibly have to be repaired by cosmetic surgery. What's next--tattoos?

My mom let me decide myself when I was 7 years old. It was a HUGE deal for me. I got to ride in the front seat of the car and everything. (My older sister usually called dibs on the front, lol.) I got to pick out my own piercing studs and everything. I'm 30 years old now, and I don't think I'm emotionally scarred because I had to wait a few years...

Answer 2

Personally I don't like it, but I understand that a lot of cultures do it as part of a handed down tradition and belief. I had my ears pierced at 10 and pleaded with my parents to have them done for years but they said I had to wait till I was 10 and then decide. I have to admit that from the age of 18 I stopped wearing them that' s well over 10 years ago now and every now and then the holes still become infected even though technically they have closed. In some respect I guess it could be classed as abuse as the child has no idea what's going on (but that could be said of routine injections) and as far as I am aware many salons won't do it on babies which means that some people will be doing it themselves and that's the worrying part. Even if a law does come in to place it doesn't mean it wont happen, who are they going to use to check???? I still see people without seat belts on and underage pregnancy, unfortunately we seem to be in a time that rules are meant to be broken.

Answer 3

I think you have a valid question. I do not think it as abuse though. There are age requirements already up until the age of 16 you MUST have a parents permission to get a piercing any type of piercing.
I guess for infants parents just figure that the pain lasts for a moment or two, the child doesn't remember it once he/she grows up so i don't really see the harm. As long as the child is up to date with the vaccinations and the parent takes time to make sure the piercings are cleaned everyday and they use an antibotic ointment the child should be fine.

Answer 4

I have heard people say it's best to get a girl's ears pierced when she's a baby, as you just carry on regardless of how much pain she's in, which would be harder with an older child. If you don't get her 'done' as a baby , she might [GASP!} REFUSE TO HAVE HER EARS PIERCED AT ALL!

I once did a survey on YA asking guys what puts them off about a woman's appearance.

I am doing a survey to find out. Personality wise, she is great, and she is in the age-range you would consider dating. But there is something about her appearance, that puts you off. What would it be?
---------------------------

NONE OF THEM SAID THAT A WOMAN WHO DOES NOT HAVE PIERCED EARS IS REPULSIVE!

Answer 5

I too find it disturbing to see a little baby with pierced ears, however I think if the child decides that they would like to have pierced ears when they are older it is ok, my Son has been pestering me to let him have his ear pierced for two years, I have made him wait this long to see if it was just a phase he'd grow out of but he's nearly 8 now and was still adamant he wanted to have his ear pierced, I took him for it doing, he saw a girl have hers done which I thought might put him off but he still wanted it done... Hence, he now has his ear pierced, a decision he made himself.

Answer 6

From the tone of your question, i gather that you have NEVER seen a child that has been abused. Abuse is one of those words that is banded about and used in the wrong context all the time.

Having a child's ears pierced is a personal choice to parents and it should not be yet another piece of legistlation that parents have to deal with.

Having sex has an age of consent, but how many 'children' out there have indulged? Leaving themselves open to worse infections and diseases that hurt like hell when you are going through them.

You don't like it - don't do it to your child if you have one now or in the future.

Answer 7

It kind of depends...if it's purely for cosmetic reasons, I think the child should be old enough to decide for herself. But, I'm friends with a couple from Africa who had their baby daughter's ears pierced, for them it was a cultural thing with actual signficance...I can't really come up with an argument against that. Things like shots are unfortunate but necessary, circumcision is often religious-based or for hygiene reasons. Something as voluntary as ear-piercing just for the sake of wearing earrings should be up to the child later on.

Answer 8

I totally agree with you.

In the UK the law for smacking a child is that it can be done but without excessive force, using an open hand and must not leave a mark.

So how the Freak can it be OK to put holes into your child's ears in the name of fashion?

(And it makes them look like a Chav.)

It should be the child's choice when they are old enough (13?) to make an educated choice themselves.

What next, a kiddy tattoo?

Answer 9

I feel it is a form of child abuse. I once remember seeing a programme where a little girl had had to fight for her life, lots of operations, when she finally got out of hospital they had her ears done! Had the child not already gone through enough pain. I had mine done when I was 11, my parents said we couldn't have them done until we were old enough to make the choice. With very young children having ears done there is a greater risk of them being ripped out, whilst playing too,
Babies and toddlers with ears pierced make me think that their mothers are called Vickie Pollard!

Answer 10

I totally agree with you - i think it is disgusting. I seriously cannot understand why anybody would want to inflict this unnecessary pain on a young child and exposing then to unnecessary infections - all in the name of vanity!

Why on earth would anybody want to pierce a baby's ears. It looks stupid because their ears are very small, then when they are pierced they go all red and swollen and then have big gold studs in them!

I think when a young girl is able to ask for her ears to be pierced and has an idea of what pain to expect then it is her choice, not when she is 3 weeks old and can't even control her own head movements!!!