FGM versus circumcision...?

Question

I know there is a difference in the degree of mutilation, but can't we all agree that both are forms of mutilation forced upon those that have no choice.

My question starts off with a short story, bear with me please.
My cousin's girlfriend gave birth to a beautiful baby boy on Sept. 21. When I came to visit the doctor was disscussing circumsion with Amanda (gf) and Chris (my cuz). He warned them that it was an awful experince for their son and he will be in pain for several days.
When the doctor left we, Chris, Amanda, my other cousin Linds got into a discussion about how painful it was. Linds, who has a 4 year old son was telling them of her experience with her son and warning them that it is intense to see your baby in that much pain. But she was still for the circumcision. I expressed my opinion that when I have children that I'm not getting them circumcised.
They immediately turned on me, despite the fact that I have done research on both FGM and circumcision.

They brought up the cleanliness issue and the social stigma issue. Basically the said that it would be cruel to not circumcise my son because he would be embarrassed that his penis didn't look like all the other boys and that women wouldn't find him attractive.

Well this to me sounds like I should mutilate my son soley based on the cultural norms. And it brings me back to FGM which is done because of cultural norms as well.

What I would like to know, is...
Am I potentially a bad mother because I've chosen to not succumb to cultural norms, risking my sons emotional health on some foreskin.
So, to cut or not to cut. What do you think.
BTW I have no problem with uncut penises, and many of the women I know don't either. There's no difference when having sex its all asthetics.

Winchester my point exactly. Most women don't notice whether a penis is cut or uncut when its erect.

I ♥ ♀ thanks for the link very informative,
"It can and does result in very significant scaring." I have noticed that on the last guy I was with. There was scarring.

((((Squirrel))))) nice to hear your opinion.

Wow! Prof C they really just did it with out your permission. That's awful. GOOD for you for suing. That's one lawsuit that was justifiable.

BTW I'm not the Jackazz that has been thumbing down, I gave all of you thumbs up.

(((GAZ))) Thanks Icy, its good to here from an intelligent and HAWT man.

Answer 1

Sweetie you are 100% right and believe me that there are many, many women (and men) who agree with you whole heartedly! It IS barbaric, it is cruel, it is totally without any justification! In most of the world it is considered a lower class thing to have been circumcised because it was done to poor people who it was assumed did not have access to proper hot water and soap! It is NOT the norm in most parts of the world!
When I had my first son 30 years ago I practically had to post an armed guard around his penis to protect him!! I kid you not they had bright blue index card taped all over his little bassinet thingy that they roll them around in, that said "Do Not Circumcise!!" My pediatrician came in my room and stuck out his hand and said "I would like to shake the hand of an intelligent woman!" I was SO startled because I was prepared with all my facts and figures ready for an argument! Instead he congratulated me! I was SO surprised becaue the nurses treated me like I was doing something weird!
Now, many years later I am proud to say that none of my grandsons have been sexually mutilated either!! Strictly because of the example that I set by not having their fathers circumcised!
Babies suffer horrific pain during a circumcision. All I ask of parents who want to do it is for them to take a few moments of time and watch an actual video, with audio, of a baby being circumcised. If they have the stomach to do that to their baby, then I guess we cannot stop them. One woman who watched her son being circumcised said that if she had had a gun she would have killed the doctor. She had no idea what she was agreeing to. Many women think it is just a quick little snip. It is not. It is time consuming and it is gruesom. From studying the babies brain waves they know now that the baby goes into shock and their brain waves do not return to normal for several days. They defacate, they urinate.....both signs of horrible pain. They scream in a way that once you hear it, you will never forget. It is a sceam of primal agony. And we as mothers are supposed to agree to this? No mother with her right mind would ever allow such a thing to be done to her baby. I watched someone elses baby being circumcised and I ran to the nearest restroom and vomited.
You are right. You are an intelligent woman, do not let anyone ever change your mind!
Stick to your guns and make sure you marry a man that feels as you do. Women have been known to divorce their husbands over this issue. I know I would divorce my husband if it were the only way I could save my baby from this mutilation.
Good for you.
Love and Blessings
Lady Trinity~

Answer 2

I sadly had all three of my sons cut. But in my defense the nurses told me that if it got infected that they could become impotent and or sterile so their moms and I agreed to it. Sadly hindsight is 20/20. And I regret having it done. And as for FGM that is just wrong they do this to young women and if I am not mistaken they cut away the clitoris. Those poor women not only have to suffer through the mutilation but they cannot enjoy sex much if at all. As far as male circumcision I can see how parents could be duped into it. But I have never heard of a woman getting an infection because she has a clitoris. The cultures that do this are truly barbaric. I am glad I found an issue I can agree with the feminists about. It is nice to know we have some mutual ground we can stand on. ANd the answers to this queation thus far have been top notch.

Answer 3

I think that removing any healthy part of a child's genitals without their consent, for no medical reason, is basically mutilation, especially when done without anaesthetic!

The cultural arguments are bogus. Recent stats showing it's only something like 56% of boys now being circumcised in the USA. That's pretty much half-half so there won't be a huge locker-room issue. As to the girls most aren't so shallow as to care (or even notice in some cases) but if they really that awful then who would want their son to be with a girl like that?

I've spoken to some intact guys about their experiences in these "locker rooms" (which not all schools have btw) and even if people look, they aren't going to bring it up, because everyone would think *they* were the weird one for closely examining another boy's junk!

Besides, who's to say the boy won't up and move to Europe or somewhere when he's older? Even Canada, California, where circs are a small minority?

I'm glad you won't get your sons done and shame about those who still keep doing it for these ridiculous reasons. If they circumcise him, he can never undo it, but at least an unhappy intact guy (unlikely) can change his situation.

Answer 4

For a minute, I thought your question said "FSM" and I was like, "Wow, Pastafarians have opinions on this too?"

I don't have overwhelmingly strong feelings on it. I was circumcised and I don't feel like I'm really missing out on much with regard to the foreskin. But, if I were a parent, I don't think I would do it.

I was on a high school sports team, and maybe 15% of the kids were uncircumcised -- I don't think it ever "came up" as a topic of teasing. Guys generally aren't eager to say, "Hey, so I was looking at Bill's penis, and..."

From my understanding, the sexual function thing can sort of go either way. No foreskin means more friction, which can help with some chicks, but then again, the most common sexual dysfunction in women is dysphoria, caused by a lack of lubrication. If there's more skin on the erect penis, that would diminish the need for lubrication.

Also, the whole cleanliness thing, I just don't buy. You're supposed to wash yourself daily anyway, and women secrete all the same fatty proteins that uncircumcised men do. Do you have hygiene problems?

Answer 5

My doctor educated me as well on the procedure of circumcision. I was 18 when I had my son. I chose NOT to have him circumcised. The whole thing sounded barbaric, and I just couldn't put my baby through something like that. Although my doctor was very informative on the procedure, and he influenced my decision (greatly), looking back I have to wonder why he failed to mention that most guys are circumcised, and the social aspect of what it would be like for my son to grow up being exposed in locker rooms and feeling "different." My son is 19 now. He has asked me (a few years ago) why I didn't just have it done when he was a baby. I think maybe he wished that I had. I agree with the doctors who say it's painful, and unnecessary. However, I wonder how much embarrassment and feelings of alienation I would have saved my son from having if I had had it done anyway? I'm not saying that I regret my decision. (I just hope HE doesn't regret it.) We haven't really talked in depth about this, so I don't know. I just hope that my decision was the right one for him, because I love him very much and he's the one who has to live with it.

EDIT: I'd really like to hear some responses from men to this question.

EDIT: Awesome answers so far from all the men!

Answer 6

Only a barbaric, uncivilized, uneducated, low class moron would still support the horrific practice of circumcision. We all have access to soap and water, so cleanliness is not a problem. On the other hand, nothing will so completely injure and traumatize a child as any form of genital mutilation, such as circumcision. Circumcision is a permanent mutilation of the child's genitals, one that can permanently injure their genitals, and result in lifelong dysfunction, pain, and shame. Any parent who is so misinformed and savage as to still support this form of torture should have their children removed from them at once. They are not fit to raise children or to live in polite society.

Answer 7

I'm with you on this argument, although I am cut. Neither of my sons are. In Australia only 13% of males are circumcised these days. It is really out of fashion. (Yes, I have an old fashiond penis. Isn't that sad)!

Anyway... the cleanliness issue is nonsense. Either cut or uncut .. you still gotta wash you goods every day or you really start to stink out your pants.... was a time when people didn't bathe every day.. circumscision was a popular choice then with the mothers for obvious reasons.

As for the "you can catch aids" stigma... unsafe sex is the prime cause of the transfer of aids.. whether you are cut or not is completely irrelevant... have safe sex and you lower your chances.

As for the "it looks better" - that's just rediculous.. it's a penis not a ken doll for ladies to play dress ups with!

Fact is .... the foreskin contains millions of nerve endings. cutting it off, removes them... and that's no fun. Why change something thousands of years of evolution put there for a reason? Religion!

That's right... back to Ibrahim (Abraham) ~ whatever... he cut off his foreskin with a hatchet at the age of about 80. Now seems to me, a senile old man with an infected foreskin (prolly from lack of washing), who then cuts it off with a hatchet.... is no role model for appropriate handling of male genitalia.

Answer 8

I have two sons. My older son is 18 and my younger will be 6 on Tuesday. My older son was not circumcised. I felt it was barbaric and there was no valid reason to perform it. He never had any problems with adhesions. I taught him from a very young age to retract his foreskin for urinating and cleaning, and he was quite adept at self-care long before the age of modesty set in. He has never voiced any concerns of being intact or looking different, and he's never had any rashes or infections. When I had my younger son, I had to have a cesarean, so my husband would transport him to and from the nursery while I was in recovery. I hadn't signed a consent to have him circumcised, but my husband signed it when he was cornered by an over-zealous pediatric nurse. We had discussed it and I had made my feelings known, but I imagine he was swayed because he didn't really think he had any disadvantages from being cut himself. I don't think my younger son's penis is at all aesthetically pleasing. The cut is too tight and I foresee him having problems in the future. =(

Answer 9

It's beyond ironic that so many women can go on and on about how women have to alter their body image to conform to one pleasing to a man, and in the next breath say that they would never **** an uncut dick.

Those women can go **** themselves as far as i'm concerned.

I applaud you for your position.

for the record, I am cut. If I could find the doctor that cut me, I would, however, thank him for at least mercifully leaving enough foreskin to simulate the feel of being uncut. Even so, chicks that have seen mine think my dick is beautiful, so perhaps I got the best of both worlds.

Perhaps the best opinions on male circumcision might come from the gay community. They all say the same thing: uncut members glide in and out better, are more sensitive and feel better to the recipient.

Pleasing the aesthetic interests of some future shallow bimbo is so low on the list of priorities, it wouldn't even be a consideration regarding my son.

Answer 10

If I had a son, I wouldn't do it.

HE would deserve to make that choice. Now if he decided at an older age that it was something he wanted to correct or as a child infections became so prevalent that medical opinion favored it above any other treatment?

Then I would do it/support it, but our opinions of what is aesthetically pleasing could change dramatically in the next 20 some-odd years.