Circumcision ???

Question

I was just wandering how many parents had their sons circumcised ? And if they did or didn't . Why? or Why not ? My sister just had a baby boy now she is faced with this decision . It is not something she would choose to do because of religion . More of a health issue .

Answer 1

would you circumsize a girl child? of course not... that's mutilation right?

People say that doctors circumsize for health reasons right? Wrong. That's a new reason that sprang up after people started circumsizing children. Originally, circumcision was supposed to prevent masturbation; in fact if a child persisted in masturbating, then parents could legally castrate their son.

Why cut off something that is there for a reason? If you believe in evolution, then you need to trust that the body developed a way to protect the genitals. Many land mammals have specially 'designed' protection for the penis. If you believe in creation then you should know that God doesn't put superfluous bits on his creations... everything is there for a reason.

The formation of smegma keeps the glans of the penis moist and protects it from chafing and chapping. It collects between the foreskin and the glans. It may smell odd at times, but so does a vagina, and natural things are going to smell odd, much like an armpit, or feet.

Circumcision should be the choice of the male. If he gets an infection, he needs to take care of it himself. I personally think it's wrong to make permanent unnecessary changes to a child's body. If they want to do it later they will; it's their own business.

If your friend's son keeps himself clean then he has nothing to worry about. Infections can arise if the boy doesn't clean himself, but that's true of other body parts too. I personally prefer an uncut penis... I think they're cute ^_^

Fun Fact: about 55% of American males are circumsized.

Answer 2

Circumcision is absolutely NOT necessary, unless there is some medical indication for it, which is rare and will only be noticed later on.
I have always found it strange how big a fuss you Americans make about circumcision. As a religious thing, ok, I don't mind that, but why would you ever wanna do that if there is no such reason?? Here in Europe I don't know anybody who is circumcised and everybody thinks that's totally normal (which it is, since guys are born that way).
There is really no health issue either, just teach your little boy to wash himself properly when he's old enough.

Answer 3

I agree with you completely! Either make them both legal, or both illegal. It would be very interesting in seeing how something like that were to go through the court system. I don't have an issue with adult males being circumcised at their own will; we pierce, tattoo, pickle our bodies all the time- why should this be different? As long as my premiums for universal healthcare don't pay for it, I couldn't care less. It's with infants i have a problem with. It's his damn body! The "looks better", "matches the father", "easier to clean" "safer from STDs" is all crap: Looks better: Like you said, that's subject to opinion. Matches the father: OH GREAT! The father was beaten with a belt as a child too! Wanna have your son re-live THAT pain too? Easier to clean: Bugger off. Get off you lazy a$$ and clean your kid! And teach him good hygiene when he's old enough. It wasn't hard for me to grasp. Safer: If there is apparently no undisputed scientific fact out there that proves I didn't choose to be gay, I refuse to believe that there's undisputed scientific proof that says that cut men are more resilient to STDs. Now on to religion: My best friend is jewish and is quite proud of his cut penis. In fact it's sometimes part of his opening line when he meet's someone new. My friend has always been sensitive about his religion (even though he's reform and basically non-practicing) to the point where if you don't agree with any certain part of his religion, he gets defensive. I used to say that it was fine to do it for religious reasons, but then I thought... wait. There are other religions and cultures that require female circumcisions- those cultures exist here in Canada and the US, yet FGM is illegal. So what's with the double standard? Don't compare the severity; they're both barbaric unnecessary operations- WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE? The same friend's girlfriend plans on having her kids cut. Why? "It's cleaner. Oh he won't remember it." This girl is a HUGE hypocrite. Why? She's pro-life to the highest degree- to almost the level of Palin's pro-life stance. Ok.. Child's rights, bla bla bla... Now what about when the child is born? Where are his rights then? With all due respect to everyone who practices a faith of some kind, I say to hell with religious, traditional, or cultural reasons. Outlaw infant circumcision for BOTH genders or make both legal.

Answer 4

Well, I did not have my son circumcised. There was no medical reason to do so. He is 10 now and hasn't had a single problem in that area. Some of the comments I read here are absolutely ridiculous. Being uncircumcised will not hinder sexual function....including masturbation. he is not prone to more infections as long as you teach him how to clean himself.
It is a choice your sister will have to make. I personally didn't do It because I felt it was a unnecessary procedure that is painful. And I'm not Jewish. He penis will look different uncircumcised than circumcised. It's no big deal either way.

Answer 5

Its really a personal decision if you read up on it the problems that may occur are small on both sides of the argument. There is no special way you have to take care of an uncircumcised penis, a circumcised penis at first needs a little care in the healing process but other than that nothing. Its really a matter of how you feel about it, is your husband done etc. I chose to get my son circumcised because my husband is and we have had no problems.

Answer 6

Today it's about 50/50 on male children that are circumcised. SO, no issues in the gym!! I had a boy who will be 2 in a few months and we DID NOT circumcise him. His father is circumcised. There was no medical or health reason to do so. I could not bring myself to mutilate my beautiful baby boy!
The difference between circumcised and uncircumcised men who suffer from infection is so minimal that it is not statistically significant. All your sister has to do is teach him how to clean himself!! That is not a huge chore.
I urge your sister and her hubby to consider carefully WHY would they want to do this.
I attached a link that has a summary of pertinent issues to help them decide if they would like to circumcise or not.

Answer 7

I would never choose to do it to my son. My boyfriend wants to do it to him, but even he admits that his reason isn't medical - he just wants his son's penis to look like his. I think that in some way he feels that if his son is left intact, he (my boyfriend) will have to deal with the fact that on some level he feels a little inadequate that a part of his genetalia is missing.

I should mention also that his brother is adopted from india and wasn't circumsized. All the boys made fun of him, but my boyfriend admits he's always been a little jealous/curious of his Bro for having something he doesn't.

Did I mention guys are weird?

Answer 8

I just did a paper on this topic for my college child psychology class....
www.webmd.com is the best site to check out circumcision....there was also another site that I unfortunately cannot remember...
Years ago, people believed that boys who were circumcised had less health problems but now research is starting to show there is hardly a difference....Plus, circumcisions makes babies more fussy and sensitive to pain...

I personally used to think circumcision was the way to go, but after research I no longer find it necessary...Parenting sites are the best resource for this information.

Answer 9

I had five sons and only the last one was not circumcised. If I had it to do over, none of them would have been. All you have to do is teach him how to keep that area clean. That would be the only health issue.

Answer 10

I am pasting here the answer I gave to this question, plus adding a little.

"Both of my sons are uncircumcised. What gives me the right to AMPUTATE a part of my son's body that he very well would want later? It isn't a question of whether, I prefer an uncircumcised or circumcised penis. It is whether THE MAN does. If he is circumcised, he doesn't know that he is missing 75% of the sexual sensitivity that the foreskin provides. Yes, someday, all baby boys grow into sexually active men, and they have a right to being intact. Would I cut off my daughter's vulva or clitoris because it is "more difficult to keep clean"? Let's face it- it's not the PRETTIEST thing in the world, but it sure does FEEL good. Did Mother Nature put this part on a boy's body by MISTAKE??? No- it is protective, and functional. We as girls learn to clean our parts. It is a very selfish decision to cut off part of our little boys' sex organ because we find it personally distasteful. After all, WE are not going to have sex with them...a woman who is perfect for them IS! I am not usually so outright with my feelings in my posts, but I am adamantly opposed to circumcision. It is barbaric, antiquated, ghastly, abusive, and selfish, not to mention the fact that it is ABSOLUTELY not MEDICALLY NECESSARY."

In addition to this, a couple of other points...this is more to some of your responders- not you, so please bear with my rant.

Would you have your son's nose or eyes done to "look like his father"? That is the most ludicrous thing people say! They want their son's PENIS to look like his father's??? Why? He's got his mama's toes, lips, eyes, etc, and you don't cut those off! This just makes no sense. I think people just say it because their parents said it, and their parents said it, etc. It is crazy. Are baby boys & thier dads supposed to have identical matching penises???

Another important point- We work so hard to bring our babies into a peaceful surrounding when they are born, then we violently butcher them? Make no mistake- THEY FEEL IT. It is painful. They pee, and it burns. They cough or sneeze and it hurts! It is very traumatic for them.

And this just can't be said too many times- Would you cut off your daughter's labia or vulva so she would be easier to clean? SAME THING. We learn to keep ours clean, and so can boys.
Sorry, but this topic would be a no-brainer if society didn't have us so confused about this issue.
I truly hope your sister doesn't amputate her baby boy's foreskin.
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