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Do you think most people research circumcision before doing it?

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Posted 11/04/2012

Honestly before joining BBC I never would have given it a second thought. Hubby is circ'd and I never really thought of it as an option either if I had had a boy I would have just circ'd. Now, though, if we decide to have another baby and it is a boy I would definitely do my due diligience in research before making the decision.




Meh. Everyone loves a vulva cake. -RVC

Last edited 11/05/2012

Things I learned:

1-      The foreskin is not just a useless piece of skin on top of the penis. It IS the penis. It is an extremely erogenous area of the penis, with 20,000+ nerve endings. Its job is to protect the penis and serve in sexual pleasure. By forcefully removing, you are deciding a sex life for your son, and removing all other function/purpose of the foreskin.  (Please research if you are under the impression it is useless skin).  

2-      Circumcision does not just involve "cutting." Upon birth, the foreskin and glans are fused together.  Forcibly removing the foreskin involves ripping healthy genital tissue off the glans, along with cutting. There is a reason the two are fused together at birth, this is to protect the penis. Please, please research this procedure.

3-      It hurts the baby. YouTube videos of circumcision. The baby is wide awake, and we have no way to know if any given pain methods are adequate, since he has no voice. In no other situation in life would it be o.k. to strap someone down wide awake, without consent, and start cutting his/her genitals.  We do not even treat animals this way. But for some reason, this has continued. An adult undergoing elective surgery, or surgery for medical reasons, has the ability to verbalize their pain, thereby receiving proper pain relief.

4-      Gender equality. Overall, our society values equality among gender. This is not something we would allow to our girls, why would we allow it to our boys? Girls are protected by law not to be cut in the name of science, cleanliness , and vanity. Our boys deserve the same right.

5-      Cleanliness (myth) and vanity (cultural) are not good enough reasons to subject a tiny newborn to a medically unnecessary surgery. This is not high school; we do not cut baby genitals to fit in. Buy the child name brand shoes, pass on the genital cutting. Baby does not need to match Daddy. Two unwarranted surgeries do not make a right. In addition, circumcision rates are dropping. It seems to be associated with more education. It is disrespectful to cut normal healthy body parts off of children because we do not recognize it, aren't familiar with it. Society needs to accept what a PENIS IS and move forward.

6-      Medical benefits are thin and debatable. When deciding risk/benefits of the procedure, consider that some long term consequences exist, but do not present themselves until adulthood. Consider some short term consequences, such as infection, adhesions, and botched circumcisions. Circumcision complications are more common than what one might expect! Consider possible rare consequences, such as penile dismemberment. Consider the possibility of death. Yes, death.  And the consequence of every circumcision is a scar, a loss of the foreskin and its function, and a loss of a personal choice for the man to own his own genitals.  Consider that one could chop various parts of the body off and find benefits in the name of science. Many benefits related to the removal of foreskin can be achieved through proper hygiene, condom wearing, and selective sexual partnering, things that circumcised men should also be practicing, regardless. A UTI can be treated with antibiotics, and the American Cancer Society does not even recommend circumcision solely based on the prevention of penile cancer. The medical industry sure is making money off of our willful ignorance, too: the cost of the procedure, the cost of repairing damages due to procedure, and the selling of foreskins. 

7-      No medical organization in the world recommends routine infant circumcision.  If we subject all infants to RIC, he will definitely endure medically unwarranted surgery and face the possible risks of surgery. If we leave baby boys alone, most will likely never need surgery. Circumcision will always be there for a better reason: either as a warranted medical reason, or a personal choice.

8-      The standard of intact care is to do nothing. When intact, do not retract. Wipe as you would a finger. The foreskin will retract naturally in its own time; the boy will know when he is ready to do so.  This is easier than managing a surgical wound on a newborn baby. Wonder why it is so easy? It is normal. Look outside our box. Most of the civilized world is intact, and their penises are doing just fine. America is obsessed with this tradition.

9-      Circumcision in regards to Christianity is important to me, since this particular faith is my background. I learned that the circumcision that God ordained as a sign of the covenant in the OT is not like the modern circumcision performed today. Everyone needs to know this: God's sign of the covenant involved a "snip" or a "clip" of the foreskin to allow a few blood drops. Most of the foreskin was left intact. They could not have done what we do to babies today and expect them to live. Modern circumcision involves removing the entire foreskin, it was created by man. It gained popularity over here in the 1800's when a twisted man decided he could curb masturbation by amputating the foreskin. Of course that didn't work, but it evolved into tradition and continued in the name of "science."  God never intended for us to amputate an entire foreskin. Adding insult to injury, all of the above is even irrelevant, when we consider that in the NT, God has set us free from this particular act! We should be celebrating, but instead we are still cutting up newborn genitals. Circumcision is not a Christian act. The NT goes out of its way several times to clarify it's not necessary. I also don't think that strapping down a young infant, wide awake, to a board with straps, to cut anywhere, genitals included, matches the peaceful and loving message of Jesus Christ. God does not want your foreskins. And if you wish to remain faithful to OT law, at least stay away from the hospital or find someone who can do it in the more humane way it began. The Bible states we are "fearfully and wonderfully" made. We are "temples of the Holy Spirit." He put the parts of our body together in the way that he "decided is best." Circumcision is a slap in the face to a God that already handed you a perfect baby.

10-   My son is a circumcision survivor. I, too, was ignorant. My son was born with a cyst on his foreskin, and we had it removed via circumcision. If I have any redemption at all, that is it. He was strapped down to a board, cried with his daddy. I heard him from the waiting room, I couldn't do anything. This act of circumcision is not natural. Many mamas can't even watch it happen. Go with your gut feeling. My son now has what could be a botched circumcision, and is scheduled for a consult at Johns Hopkins in January. I am considering asking them if there is another way we could resolve his current issues without more surgery. 


homeschooling mama of 3 kids. river(5), ember(3), and jonathan(1). 

Posted 11/05/2012
Thank you for your powerful words. I think mother's who have circed are the most powerful voices of change. I'm sure any future sons you have and your current son will be thankful that you have stopped this outdated "tradition" in your family. Keep up the good work spreading the message of change.


Posted 11/05/2012

Every time you see the word circumcision, replace it with m*********. Because that is what it is.

As much as I agree with you, this statement violates BBC's TOS.



"Dammit, people!  Why aren't you hugging me?  This was brilliant.  BRILLIANT, I say!" - mama_tiger

Posted 11/05/2012

I deleted the last sentence, but would that include the inablity to post Bible verses? Because the Bible calls it the same thing. Just wondering.



Posted 11/05/2012
I don't know about Bible verses. However as much as I think that word is accurate unfortunately we're not allowed to use it so I just don't. Although I think you can say I think circ is m because that's your opinion vs saying I think you m your son. See the difference.


Posted 11/05/2012


I think everyone has a different level of "research". For some, it could be reading the AAP and other medical pages. For others, it could be just asking around and getting opinions from both sides.



 Dr. Seuss

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