If my wife and I have a baby boy, should we circumcize him?

Question

My wife and I are expecting in March.
I am circumcised.
We live in the United States of America.
My wife is Catholic and I'm theologically undecided.
My wife and I think circumcision is unnecessary and a little barbaric, but that forcing a child to suffer too much ridicule for being different is nearly as bad.

So what should we do?

Answer 1

You should definetely have him CIRCUMCISED.

Why? Keep reading...

CIRCUMCISION IS VERY BENEFICIAL, its cleaner and several research bodies have concluded that circumcised men have less risk of contracting STD's such as AIDS-HIV or herpes.

Uncircumcised penises are difficult to keep clean, and more prone to infections and penile cancer, studies have shown.
A circumcised penis is naturally clean and virtually free from urinary infection. You will not have to worry again with careful washing of your penis.

Is it NOT true that the AAP (American Academy of Paediatrics) does not recommend circumcision. They simply say they leave the decision to parents. But recently, and specially after the New Zealand study, the AAP has been discussing if it may be necessary to change their policy and recommend circumcision to all newborns as they used to do, so in the future we may see that the AAP advocates again circumcision.
Have a look at: http://www.baby-health.net/articles/381.html

About STD's:

As I said, several studies carried out by prestigious research bodies have concluded that uncircumcised penises are more prone to infections and contraction of STD's, including AIDS-HIV. Circumcised men have been proved to be up to seven times less likely to be infected than those who are uncircumcised. Have a look at this site: http://icuxbridge.icnetwork.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=14095142&method=full&siteid=53340&headline=-circumcision-protects-against-aids--name_page.html

As for women, studies also show that circumcision also protects female partners from AIDS-HIV and other STD's. Browse this article: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/Press_releases/2006/02_08_06.html

About sensitivity of a circumcised penis:

No medical or physiological study has proved that circumcision reduces sensitivity, opposed to common belief. It is completely FALSE that circumcision reduces penis sensitivity. The American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) confirms this on their web site; have a look at: http://www.aap.org/pubed/zzzjzmemh4c.htm

Circumcision is an easy and nowadays *painless* procedure, which has many benefits, and virtually no risks.
Circumcision is NOT an amputation. Circumcision is NOT comparable at all to female circumcision, which is something completely different.

Circumcision rates are INCREASING nowadays, both in the United States and overseas. Many African and South American countries with little circumcision tradition are starting to promote the procedure to help to reduce the AIDS-HIV infection rates.

Finally, this site has a lot of useful and *unbiased* information. Make sure you have a good look: http://www.circinfo.net

Answer 2

Wow you might be fantastic! You're surely on a excellent course, being equipped to make such an independent resolution regardless of being introduced up in a society which believes the opposite. Which does not really reply your query, however I must offer you severe kudos for what you've got stated. I agree it can be a barbaric observe and absolutely old-fashioned. I don't know of any muslim enterprise that might help you, and if there is not one, at the least you've gotten time for your side if it's not typically executed until boys are older. Probably you could accumulate as a lot proof as which you could (there's stacks on the web, simply google) as to why the follow is unnecessary, then gently lift the discipline together with your spouse and/or father and mother to peer if they're in any respect open to new information. Often folks surprise us - it should with ease be they have in no way even idea of it given that no-one urged they should. In case you approach it gently as a substitute than expecting a fight you might have extra success. Probably you'll start the organization you're watching for! Great of success my buddy, you might be on an awfully beneficial trip. L

Answer 3

Actually, from what I've read, circumcised vs. non circumsized is becoming more and more even in the US... particularly in California (though the midwest is still predominently circumsized). Both of my sons are circumsized, but I can tell you that if we ever have a third boy, we will NOT have him circed. I saw a video of it being done, found out tons of information about it (like that men lose FORTY THOUSAND nerve endings!) and just in general am of the opinion that babies are born perfect and can do what they will to their own bodies, but I didn't realize you COULD not do it. If you think it's barbaric, go with your gut on it. The ridicule probably won't be as bad as you think, if at all.

Answer 4

My hubby is circumcised.

Our son was left intact. We saw no reason to cut off a part of his body that he was born with. It is there for a reason.

Circumcision is an outdated practice. Do you know how it started? As an attempt to discourage masterbation! Didn't work, did it? Since then it's been "a cure searching for a symptom" that isn't really medically necessary. All the "medical arguements" for circumcision can be taken care of by teaching the child proper hygeine and safe sex practices.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends AGAINST routine newborn circumcision. The so-called "medical reasons" as just not strong enough to recommend it.

Some people think that the child needs to look like Dad or "he'll be confused." I think that's a load of rubbish. Kids are SMART. They know that all people look different. They know that some people have brown hair and some have blonde or black. People have different eye colors, different skin colors, are different heights and weights. They see that adults have pubic hair and they don't yet. They aren't confused by looking a little different from Dad. (My nearly 8 year old son has never asked his dad why they look different. The kids I have heard of who did ask said something like, "Wow! Thanks for not letting them do that to me!"

And then there is the "locker room" arguement. The circumcision rate in the USA is rapidly approaching 50/50. There will be other uncut kids in the locker room. And if some kid DOES look and say something, who do you think is going to get teased? The kid with an intact penis or the one who LOOKED at it?

ETA:
Sherry j - Circumcision DOES NOT prevent HIV!!!!! Men who are circumcised CAN become infected if they do not follow safe sex practices!!!!!

Answer 5

Yeah and chop of his earlobes while you are at it!

Seriously I live in Canada where more men are not circ'd then are. Not is anti-circ as Europe, but way less circ oriented then the US.

And you never hear about kids getting cir'd for UTIs or other problems here. Rarely you hear about an adult getting cir'd, occaisionally you hear about it for fungal balanitis. Because here doctors know how to treat the uncircumcised penis. They prevent UTIs the same way they do in women, minor behavioural changes. The treat Phimosis with exercises and occaisionally steroid cream.

There is absolutely NO REASON to circumcise. There is some evidence that it reduces the risks of AIDS and but other studies disprove it. The risk of UTIs in men is vanishingly small, and the risk of UTIs in small children is INCREASED by circumcision according to most studies. However we do not remove the appendix at birth. We do not remove the earlobes. We do not remove the clitoral hood from girls even though that would reduce UTIs.

And I promise you in the school locker room none of the guys are gonna be looking at the other guys penises. Really now would you have been caught dead looking at another boy's penis in the locker room as a teen?

Answer 6

NIH backs circumcision in AIDS fight
Procedure an effective way to stop HIV, says National Institutes of Health
By Robert Bazell
Chief science and health correspondent
NBC News
Updated: 6:10 p.m. ET Dec. 13, 2006
Circumcising adult men is an effective way to limit transmission of the virus that causes AIDS. The National Institutes of Health announced today that two clinical trials in Africa have been stopped because an independent monitoring board determined the treatment was so effective that it would be unethical to continue the experiment.

"We now have confirmation — from large, carefully controlled, randomized clinical trials —showing definitively that medically performed circumcision can significantly lower the risk of adult males contracting HIV through heterosexual intercourse," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease. "While the initial benefit will be fewer HIV infections in men, ultimately adult male circumcision could lead to fewer infections in women in those areas of the world where HIV is spread primarily through heterosexual intercourse."

The NIH has been sponsoring two trials — one with 5,000 men, ages 15 to 49, in Uganda and a second with 2,784 men, 18-24, in Kenya. Half the men voluntarily underwent circumcision. The men were then monitored for about two years. Far more of the uncircumcised men became infected with HIV.

The studies found that the circumcised men in the Kenyan study were 48 percent less likely to get infected and 53 percent less likely in the Ugandan study.


This finding appears to apply only to heterosexual transmission, which is the main mode of spread in Africa.

Male circumcision is common at birth in the United States. But in sub-Saharan Africa, home to more than half of the world’s almost 40 million HIV-infected people, there are large swaths of populations where male circumcision is rare.

Circumcision is not perfect protection, Fauci stressed. Men who become circumcised must not quit using condoms nor take other risks — and circumcision offers no protection from HIV acquired through anal sex or injection drug use, he noted.

“It’s not a magic bullet, but a potentially important intervention,” agreed Dr. Kevin De Cock of the World Health Organization.

These findings present enormous ethical and policy decisions which have yet to be addressed. But scientists say the reduction of infection is so substantial that the findings cannot be ignored.

© 2006 MSNBC Interactive© 2006 MSNBC InteractiveThe Associated Press contributed to this report.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16184582/

Answer 7

Only do it if you would have the same kind of COSMETIC SURGERY performed on your daughter. There are no valid reasons to remove a very erogenous private USEFUL piece of your son's genitals. HIS BODY HIS CHOICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*It is not cleaner or more hygenic, the precupital sphincter prevents feces from entering the meatus and the foreskin is FUSED TO THE GLANS until several years after birth. They actually have to rip it away, much like ripping a fingernail from its bed, when they circumcise a helpless newborn. Of course it would be easier to keep our fingers clean with no nails, but as with no foreskin, there is a protective reason for its existance. Girls are several times more likely to suffer urinary tract infections, but we don't cut their gernitals.

*Cutting your baby's penis does not prevent STDs. The studies that suggest this have been proven to be flawed. CONDOMS prevent stds, not surgery. (Think about the circumcision rates of the last few generations in nthe USA and then compare the AIDs rates, not to safe a disease contol method eh?)

*As for ridicule. we cannot prevent everything a child may get teased for. What if he needs glasses, or braces, or has freckles. or is chubby or short or lisps? There are no surgeries to prevent bullying. You can BUILD his self-esteem without reducing his penis. Plus, less than half of this generation of American boys will have had genital modification surgery, so the locker room is likely to be an even playing field. (My 13 y.o. brothers play football, lacrosse and wrestle and, even though they live in the Midwest, they have never had issues in the locker room. they know they are lucky to have their whole genitals.)

*Intact penises are super low maintenance. you have no bloody stump, no gauze to change, no vaseline to smear on, no agonized screaming. Just wipe like you would a finger and go! the foreskin keeps out foreign matter and should only be pulled back by the child, when he is ready. 85% of the world's men are intact. These mysterious "problems" that people enjoy scaring new parents with most likely occur because of the typical American doctors ignorance of the foreskin. They mostly want to cut it off and possibly sellit for cosmetics. Premature retraaction can cause infection, phimosis is NORMAL until after puberty and THE ONLY reaasons to cut off a foreskin (instead of less invasive methods) are advanced cancer (which is much more rare than even breast cancer in men), gangrene, hypospadias repair and extreme frostbite.

Answer 8

Circumcision is unnessesary, and is quickly becoming a thing of the past. In my prenatal class we talked about it. Out of the 1400 boys born that year in our city, only 14 were cut. Many doctors won't even do it anymore. Although much of our generation was circumsized, most of this generation won't be. Don't worry about your son being 'different'. My dad was circumsized and my brother wasn't... it was never an issue.

Answer 9

My husband and I talked a long time over this issue while I was pregnant with our son, and ultimately I left the decision up to him. My husband is circumcised, and decided to have the same for our son as he did not want him to be made fun of in school. Apparently boys in gym class can be very unforgiving of any differences. To help ease your mind, they numb the area, and my son slept through the entire operation. He never had any ill effects from it, and personally I feel it is much more hygienic. Whatever you choose, be very confident in your decision so as you don't regret it in the future. Good luck.

Answer 10

I wouldn't do it. I circumcised my first and really regret it. My second son is not and it's perfectly fine. The statistics now between those who are and those who aren't are nearly 50-50. It's much more normal now to not be circumcised, so follow your heart. It's an unneccessary cosmetic procedure.