Oh Boy . . .
I am well aware that circumcision is a topic that many are not comfortable thinking about, let alone discussing. I also know that when I was first looking into facts, actual facts, about the pros and cons . . . I found more personal opinions than anything else.
I am well aware that circumcision is a topic that many are not comfortable thinking about, let alone discussing. I also know that when I was first looking into facts, actual facts, about the pros and cons . . . I found more personal opinions than anything else.
This all started for me when I found out I was pregnant, even before I knew I was having a boy. A friend of mine posted an episode of Penn & Teller's "Bulls***" on her Facebook page.
It was a documentary on circumcision, and while it didn't make up my mind for me . . . it sure did raise some questions that I was determined to find the answers to.
I hadn't even considered (gasp) not circumcising my child! After all, it is just what is done, right?
Before you watch this . . . please be warned that there is some harsh language and some of the scenes are very tough to watch.
I hadn't even considered (gasp) not circumcising my child! After all, it is just what is done, right?
Before you watch this . . . please be warned that there is some harsh language and some of the scenes are very tough to watch.
So here is where my journey started. I asked friends and family what they thought. I Googled circumcision. I watched countless videos. Wow! The information I got back ranged from the pros . . .
"It reduces the chance for infections"
"It's just cleaner"
"We did it because his daddy was."
"Un-cirq'd guys look gross"
"He will hate you, if you don't"
"We didn't even think about it. Our Dr. just did it"
"I would rather he has it done before he remembers the pain"
"I don't want him to be different from all his friends. That would be embarrassing"
"It's a personal choice"
to the cons . . .
"I wish we knew then what we know now"
"I thought we were doing the right thing"
"I wish my parents hadn't done it"
"I would never circumcise my son OR daughter"
"It's a personal choice"
Notice that one of the answers is the same in both the pros and the cons? It IS, in fact a personal choice. But not in the way you may be thinking.
Personal Choice - A decision that YOU make, that affects YOU. It reflects YOUR opinions/views and is not forced upon YOU by anyone else.
If you agree with that definition, then you have to agree it is not your decision as a parent, rather the decision belongs to the child. Now obviously an infant cannot sign a consent form, but they do say no. They say no with every fiber of their being. Just because they cannot yet speak, does not mean we shouldn't pay attention. When a baby protests that way in any other context, we stop what we are doing. . . Immediately. Right?
NO ALWAYS MEANS NO.
After talking to my mom about my intentions to keep my son intact*, she told me I should really think about it, because he would be different from the kids his age . I found so many articles debunking the myths of circumcision, and I decided to send her a link much like the one below. This was the tipping point for me. After reading it, she admitted she hadn't thought about most of the points in the article before, and better yet, she AGREED with me!
EUREKA!
I was no longer battling this alone, and I helped open someone else's eyes, just like mine had been. It was then that I decided that I would talk about circumcision openly and often, in the hopes that other parents would pause before making an irreversible decision, that isn't theirs to make in the first place.
(*un-circumcised implies that something was not done that should have been, so it is called intact)
More on circumcision myths here...
Circumcision is a solution in search of a problem. Over the past 181 years, Circumcision has been used to "cure/prevent" the following issues . . .
If at first you don't succeed, try and try and try and try again to find SOMETHING that circumcision will fix!
1832 - Nocturnal Emissions
(that worked well, huh?)
1845 - Masterbation
(HA HA. This one resurfaces several times)
1855 - Syphillis
1865 - Epilepsy
(not cured)
1870 - Spinal Paralysis
(talk about kicking a guy when he's down)
1873 - Bedwetting
(didn't work for my ex!)
1875 - Curvature of the spine
1875 - Club Feet
(this one makes TOTAL sense)
1886 - Crossed Eyes
1890 - Blindness, Deafness, Dumbness
1894 - Prevent "Negros from raping whites"
(there are no words)
1894 - Urinary and Rectal Incontinence
1900 - Sexual Immorality
1914 - Tuberculosis
(can you say fear-mongering?)
1926 - Penile Cancer
1942 - Prostate Cancer
1949 - Cancer of the tongue
(why not just 'trim' the tongue?)
1951 - Cervical Cancer
(so cutting something off of a man will prevent an illness in a woman?)
1953 - Provides immunity for nearly ALL physical/mental illnesses
(oh really?!?)
1959 - Female Circumcision makes it easy for the husband to find the clitoris
(oh, men of the 50's)
1985 - Urinary Tract Infections
(meds also help)
1986 - A.I.D.S.
(actually called the "vaccine" to prevent it)
1988 - Group B Strep
1991 - Prevents sand from getting into soldiers foreskins
(this last one, by far, is my favorite)
The above timeline can be read in detail at the link below, including sources
Medicalization of Circumcision Timeline here...
If you are reading this and have circumcised your son, please know that my words are NOT a judgement. We all do the very best we know how. We have all been mislead, and we cannot change the past. Hopefully, if you are pregnant, or plan to have any children in the future, you will think back to this post before making a rash decision. Pretending you didn't read this will not make any of the facts untrue. It will just make it easier for you to sleep at night. Maybe.
If all of this information is overwhelming, I have put it in some simpler terms HERE
I will leave you with one last thought, for now. . . If you could not bear to watch that video because the babies screaming are too much for you, think about that for a second.
"It reduces the chance for infections"
"It's just cleaner"
"We did it because his daddy was."
"Un-cirq'd guys look gross"
"He will hate you, if you don't"
"We didn't even think about it. Our Dr. just did it"
"I would rather he has it done before he remembers the pain"
"I don't want him to be different from all his friends. That would be embarrassing"
"It's a personal choice"
to the cons . . .
"I wish we knew then what we know now"
"I thought we were doing the right thing"
"I wish my parents hadn't done it"
"I would never circumcise my son OR daughter"
"It's a personal choice"
Notice that one of the answers is the same in both the pros and the cons? It IS, in fact a personal choice. But not in the way you may be thinking.
Personal Choice - A decision that YOU make, that affects YOU. It reflects YOUR opinions/views and is not forced upon YOU by anyone else.
If you agree with that definition, then you have to agree it is not your decision as a parent, rather the decision belongs to the child. Now obviously an infant cannot sign a consent form, but they do say no. They say no with every fiber of their being. Just because they cannot yet speak, does not mean we shouldn't pay attention. When a baby protests that way in any other context, we stop what we are doing. . . Immediately. Right?
NO ALWAYS MEANS NO.
After talking to my mom about my intentions to keep my son intact*, she told me I should really think about it, because he would be different from the kids his age . I found so many articles debunking the myths of circumcision, and I decided to send her a link much like the one below. This was the tipping point for me. After reading it, she admitted she hadn't thought about most of the points in the article before, and better yet, she AGREED with me!
EUREKA!
I was no longer battling this alone, and I helped open someone else's eyes, just like mine had been. It was then that I decided that I would talk about circumcision openly and often, in the hopes that other parents would pause before making an irreversible decision, that isn't theirs to make in the first place.
(*un-circumcised implies that something was not done that should have been, so it is called intact)
More on circumcision myths here...
Circumcision is a solution in search of a problem. Over the past 181 years, Circumcision has been used to "cure/prevent" the following issues . . .
If at first you don't succeed, try and try and try and try again to find SOMETHING that circumcision will fix!
1832 - Nocturnal Emissions
(that worked well, huh?)
1845 - Masterbation
(HA HA. This one resurfaces several times)
1855 - Syphillis
1865 - Epilepsy
(not cured)
1870 - Spinal Paralysis
(talk about kicking a guy when he's down)
1873 - Bedwetting
(didn't work for my ex!)
1875 - Curvature of the spine
1875 - Club Feet
(this one makes TOTAL sense)
1886 - Crossed Eyes
1890 - Blindness, Deafness, Dumbness
1894 - Prevent "Negros from raping whites"
(there are no words)
1894 - Urinary and Rectal Incontinence
1900 - Sexual Immorality
1914 - Tuberculosis
(can you say fear-mongering?)
1926 - Penile Cancer
1942 - Prostate Cancer
1949 - Cancer of the tongue
(why not just 'trim' the tongue?)
1951 - Cervical Cancer
(so cutting something off of a man will prevent an illness in a woman?)
1953 - Provides immunity for nearly ALL physical/mental illnesses
(oh really?!?)
1959 - Female Circumcision makes it easy for the husband to find the clitoris
(oh, men of the 50's)
1985 - Urinary Tract Infections
(meds also help)
1986 - A.I.D.S.
(actually called the "vaccine" to prevent it)
1988 - Group B Strep
1991 - Prevents sand from getting into soldiers foreskins
(this last one, by far, is my favorite)
The above timeline can be read in detail at the link below, including sources
Medicalization of Circumcision Timeline here...
If you are reading this and have circumcised your son, please know that my words are NOT a judgement. We all do the very best we know how. We have all been mislead, and we cannot change the past. Hopefully, if you are pregnant, or plan to have any children in the future, you will think back to this post before making a rash decision. Pretending you didn't read this will not make any of the facts untrue. It will just make it easier for you to sleep at night. Maybe.
If all of this information is overwhelming, I have put it in some simpler terms HERE
I will leave you with one last thought, for now. . . If you could not bear to watch that video because the babies screaming are too much for you, think about that for a second.