Where are all these dads with 1/2 inch long hairless genitals?

Question

Seriously people. Do you really think cutting a baby's penis to "look like dad" is logical? What kind of dad has a tiny penis with no pubic hair? Is it really so hard to tell a kid
(if he ever asks) "daddy had an operation on his penis, but we knew it was not necessary when you were born."

Why is this still being perpetuated as a legitimate reason to permanently alter a child?

Hygiene reasons? Thats got to be the second on the list. Don't you guys have running water?

Not a troll, just a mom who is tired of people treating their babies like objects and completely violating their human rights.
http://www.math.missouri.edu/~rich/MGM/primer.html

So, by an extension of this logic, I shuold get my DD breast implants because i don't want her to "feel like she is diffferent." Or that i shouldn't stand up ffor the rights of a child who's parent wants to cut up their body to make it look like someone else's?

If you've "read the pro's and cons" you will ceratinly know that the rate of genitla reduction surgery is dropping. Girls may not be so shallow in 16-18 years, having knowledge of both cut and uncut penis' so, you are not doing your son any favore by cutting him instead of TALKING TO HIM! Self esteem goes a long way. Or, are you protecting your husband? http://www.udonet.com/circumcision/vincent/vulnerability_of_men.html

Don't trot out that AIDs crap. You have only to compare the rates of circumcision versus the level of HIV and AIDs in the USA and you willknow it is a faulty reason. You want to know what else circumcison magically cures... http://www.icgi.org/2007/04/medicalization-of-circumcision-an-online-slide-show/

Oh Bugsey. Why would you let someone with parts missing make that decision? YOU are the one with INTACT genitals, not him. Egads!

Answer 1

Yeah, I have always found this rationale puzzling. As you point out, the child's penis isn't going to "look like Daddy's" anyway. And if Daddy whips it out to compare at great lengths, I suspect Daddy is a real perv.

I know a man whose right hand is missing two fingers from an accident when he was a kid. His son has intact fingers, so I guess he doesn't look like Daddy. And what if Daddy happens to be Caucasian, like another of my friends, and he has three adopted sons who are African-American? My friend hasn't yet started straightening their hair or bleaching their skin, and the family seems extremely happy.

Emo, you may have a legal right to mutilate your son's genitals, but you don't have a moral right to do so. That decision should be made by the owner of the penis, after he reaches adulthood.

"A solution looking for a problem" is correct.

Answer 2

I agree that is one of the craziest reasons people trot out for circumcision. You have addressed all the other ones too. They have no reason. Bottom line some people are stubborn and just aren't comfortable with going against "tradition" and other things, and therefore violate their children's human rights (yes, that's exactly what it is).

PS "bringing sexy back" above me is stupid, she seems to think you have to pull the foreskin back every nappy change, gee this is one of the myths about an intact penis that make people decide to cut off the foreskin (to not pull it back) well it is attached in babies and for many years of life so it can't be pulled back to clean! And never has to be! You just clean the outside. Way better than putting vaseline on a wound etc. and less likely to get infections. So did you know when they circumcised your son, not only did they chop the foreskin off but they ripped it off the glans first? Kinda like pulling your fingernail out then cutting the tip of your finger. Nice. Putting your child through such surgery when you don't even know what they do.

Answer 3

It is funny how people keep finding new way to prove circumcision is useful. The list started when the US started doing circumcisions, none of them have stood the test of time.
---- News Clip (Full Link below) ---
WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Circumcision may reduce a man's risk of infection with the AIDS virus by up to 60 percent if he is an African, but it does not appear to help American men of color, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

Black and Latino men were just as likely to become infected with the AIDS virus whether they were circumcised or not, Greg Millett of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.
------

The thing I find hardest to believe is how people can buy all this "health benefits" crap when there is world out there that mostly has foreskin. And with most of the things they point out circumcision is suppose to reduce, are usually lower rates in uncut nations. Like the top 5 countries with the least AIDS problems are mostly uncircumcised. The US is the only first world country to circumcise for health reasons, and our AIDS problem is 3 time what the next is in first world countries. Many uncut countries in Europe have lower penis cancer and cervical cancer rates than the US.

Circumcision, a solution looking for a problem.

Answer 4

Religious reasons? Are you a jew or muslim?

Only those primitive desert tribes have a religious "requirement" for mutilation; and many or them have seen the light and are refusing to maim their sons.

Christians, Budists, Hindu and all other major religions do not require "circumcision" in fact some forbid it!

Health and hygine reasons; here are some recent news articles from the medical world.

Call to end circumcision of baby boys

Posted Sat Dec 8, 2007 9:00am AEDT

Tasmania's Commissioner for Children has again called on the State Government to review laws covering the circumcision of baby boys for cosmetic reasons.

Paul Mason says the practice is painful, inflicts permanent and irreversible disfigurement, and is a breach of human rights.

He says parents do not have an unfettered right to do whatever they like with their children.

Mr Mason says with Human Rights Day approaching, it is important to remember that everyone is entitled to equal protection under the law, regardless of their gender, culture or race.

"If I have a religious obligation, a religious belief that my child should do X, Y and Z and that conflicts directly with a human right of the child, then the human right of the child will prevail," Mr Mason said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/08/2113314.htm

Doctors back call for circumcision ban

The Australian Medical Association has backed a call for laws banning the non-essential circumcision of infant boys.


The Tasmanian Children's Commissioner, Paul Mason, says non-medical circumcision is a breach of human rights.


The AMA's Tasmanian President, Haydn Walters, says they would support a ban on the practice, except where there are medical or religious reasons.


He says there is only rarely a medical need to carry out the procedure.


"There were quite a lot of folk myths around the advantages of circumcision. They've almost all been debunked," Prof Walters said.


"There are some minimal advantages in some circumstances, particularly in some infectious diseases, but they're overwhelmingly balanced by disadvantages in other areas," he said.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/071209/21/157hr.html

This is especially significant because most Australian doctors will
either be circumcised themselves, or married to circumcised men.
The male circ rate in Australia was about 90% in 1950.

Answer 5

It is really difficult to understand in this enlightened day and age why this genital mutilation is being performed. It is done without anaesthetic and obviously is very traumatic for the new born. Check out videos on the procedure before you decide... To say that it is not like Daddy's or the other boys, and to cite hygiene reasons are not valid. Those people who buy into this stance by default agree that female circumcision is also OK, and clearly this also is not. Hygiene for boys can be taught just as for girls and arguably it is somewhat more complex for the female.

Answer 6

Parents in Egypt "circumcise" their sons AND daughters for hygiene and "social acceptance".

Those Egyptian parents would be happy to see this answer from emo:

"Besides - you do what you want with your children and others will do what they want with theirs.
Stop being so judgemental!!!"

They mutilate their sons and daughters with the best of intentions; who are we to judge them? Even when we see something as evil and despicable we should keep our mouths shut?

Some instances where we would be if every body would just mind their own business: (just a few)
Females can not vote.
A man can rape his wife.
A man can sell his daughter into slavery (it is in the Bible)
Girls can be denied education.
Girls can be "circumcised" (legal in the US until 1996)
The list goes on.

Each of these practices are ended only because people stood up and said "that is wrong!"

BTW: recent studies have also found that female "circumcision" seems to reduce the spread of AIDS in Africa. You won't see that one on the evening news.

Answer 7

Hi,
I agree that this reason for circumsizing a newborn baby is pathetic.
Even if the dad is circumsized, you are right - his large hairy
penis is going to look nothing like his child's small bald one!
At least by leaving your newborn son intact, you leave him the option of choosing to have his penis circumsized when he's older. But if you take it upon yourself to do it at birth, and with no good reason, its a permanent amendment to his genitals that he can never get back.
Unfortunately there are too many parents who believe the myths about hygiene, and try to adhere to conformity and tradition.
However, thankfully this is only the case here in the US. Outside of America this surgery is actually quite rare. Even here in a few generations' time it will be an outdated procedure that's only ever done to cure foreskin defects (which are of course few and far between).

Answer 8

In addition, I'm not sure how doctors think they'll consistantly get a cosmetically and functionally acceptable result when operating on an organ that's maybe 1/20th of its adult size.

If you want to alter someone's genitals, alter your own. Hands off the babies.

Answer 9

lol, I wrote a message to a girl the other week because she was asking where all the 'thumb downs' were coming from.

her answer was "I circ'd because when it comes time to potty train, I dont want my son to be confused. so I want his peepee to look the same as his dads." .... er whatever.

I was nice in my message, I just let her know why she got a lot of thumbs down. I asked her if her husband was going to shave and shrink his penis.


p.s. Both my boys are circ'd. The reason is, their dad chose. He's the one with the penis. He says he's glad he's circ'd and glad it was done when he was an infant.

Answer 10

Do what you do with your son and don't be judging my son's private parts.Yes I had there's done becauuse if you don't when you change there diapers you will have to pull back and clean there foreskin now which do you think is more wrong a few secounds of pain which they do numb a couple hours after birth or changing a one year olds diaper and having to have them lay there that much longer so you can do what you need to do so they don't get an infectiion now think about that