Your view on circumcision.

[cupcake0406]

Yes I definitely would do my research, just reading others points of views on here has made me decide that I would not have it done unless there was a medical reason. I don't see it necessary as one may never occur. X

 

[starshinebby]

Yes I definitely would do my research, just reading others points of views on here has made me decide that I would not have it done unless there was a medical reason. I don't see it necessary as one may never occur. X

That's good, I'm glad reading others opinions have got you thinking about it, but don't base your decision on that alone. A lot of people just "follow the heard" without even questioning things like this, just because it's what's commonly done. And doing what's commonly done is fine, but know why you're doing it and the research behind it. Just like you'd do with any other surgery, illness, medication, or anything, you'd do research about it.

 

[torch2010]

When I read the comment under the OP 'Not your penis, not your decision' I thought, wow, a bit harsh but thinking about it I agree lol
it's not something we have ever even discussed until just now but both me and OH are in agreement that it's not for us but as someone else said if it was a medical necessity then of course we would do what was best for baby

 

[MrS. MaBrEy]

My husband is circumcised and if this baby is a boy he will be too. We considered not doing it because it does have a very religious connotation and we are both Atheist, closer to Anti-theists, but in the end I feel it is something I would want done if I were a boy who were being raised in the USA. Most of the population is circumcised (at least where I am from) and teens can be cruel. If we were going to live in Germany we would probably forgo it because here it is really not the norm to have it done but we will be back in the US pretty soon and feel it is better for him in the long run.

 

[Lisasmith]

Dead set against it. Research it fully and properly. Your son will feel pain and it can cause MAJOR complications including death. YouTube videos etc and make sure you make a FULLY informed decision.

 

[starshinebby]

My husband is circumcised and if this baby is a boy he will be too. We considered not doing it because it does have a very religious connotation and we are both Atheist, closer to Anti-theists, but in the end I feel it is something I would want done if I were a boy who were being raised in the USA. Most of the population is circumcised (at least where I am from) and teens can be cruel. If we were going to live in Germany we would probably forgo it because here it is really not the norm to have it done but we will be back in the US pretty soon and feel it is better for him in the long run.

"The circumcision rate in the United States is now below 40% (and much lower in some parts of the country), down from 81% in 1981. More than 60% of all baby boys in the U.S. leave the hospital intact, as more and more parents realize that circumcision is unnecessary.

Approximately 75% of the men in the world are not circumcised and remain intact throughout their lives." (https://intactamerica.org/resources/decision)

Although it is true that there is still a great number of men who are circumcised in the USA, that number is dropping and the percentage that is still prevalent is most likely because of religious beliefs.

I only suggest you thoroughly research this and not base a medical decision purely upon where you're located as you or your son might choose to relocate himself in the future.

 

[MrS. MaBrEy]

Also, I think it's important to point out that there is such a thing as female circumcision that is hardly ever brought up. The procedures were referred to as female circumcision until the early 1980s, when the term "female genital mutilation" came into use. The term isn't commonly known now and we generally leave female babies intact (i.e., not cutting off the clitoris). If you think about it, we're doing the same to the males by cutting off the foreskin as they were cutting off the clitoris.

I know I'd be pretty damn upset knowing my parents made the decision to remove my clitoris as it is a primary pleasure spot in women. I couldn't imagine circumcising a female baby, so I'm wondering why should the thought of circumcising a male baby be any different? Opinions?

You asked for an opinion so I am going to put this out there. the 2 cannot be compared. removing the clitoris of a female can cause permanent damage including: infertility, loss of sexual desire, extreme pain during intercourse, and constant unbearable pain from the extraction sight. The forskin is not necessary for ejaculation nor for sexual pleasure where the clitoris IS necessary. these 2 things should never be compared because they are totally different things. This is for the most part only practiced by religious extremists and is usually accompanied by the sewing together of the labia or even the complete closure if the vagina and a wedding night ritual of cutting the threads. It is banned in almost every modern society in the world and for good reason.

 

[Lisasmith]

Also, I think it's important to point out that there is such a thing as female circumcision that is hardly ever brought up. The procedures were referred to as female circumcision until the early 1980s, when the term "female genital mutilation" came into use. The term isn't commonly known now and we generally leave female babies intact (i.e., not cutting off the clitoris). If you think about it, we're doing the same to the males by cutting off the foreskin as they were cutting off the clitoris.

I know I'd be pretty damn upset knowing my parents made the decision to remove my clitoris as it is a primary pleasure spot in women. I couldn't imagine circumcising a female baby, so I'm wondering why should the thought of circumcising a male baby be any different? Opinions?

You asked for an opinion so I am going to put this out there. the 2 cannot be compared. removing the clitoris of a female can cause permanent damage including: infertility, loss of sexual desire, extreme pain during intercourse, and constant unbearable pain from the extraction sight. The forskin is not necessary for ejaculation nor for sexual pleasure where the clitoris IS necessary. these 2 things should never be compared because they are totally different things. This is only practiced by religious extremists and is usually accompanied by the sewing together of the labia or even the complete closure if the vagina and a wedding night ritual of cutting the threads. It is banned in almost every modern society in the world and for good reason.

There are a lot of nerves being removed with the foreskin too. I'm
Not comparing the two at all but the foreskin isn't just a dead flap of skin that serves no purpose

 

[MrS. MaBrEy]

My husband is circumcised and if this baby is a boy he will be too. We considered not doing it because it does have a very religious connotation and we are both Atheist, closer to Anti-theists, but in the end I feel it is something I would want done if I were a boy who were being raised in the USA. Most of the population is circumcised (at least where I am from) and teens can be cruel. If we were going to live in Germany we would probably forgo it because here it is really not the norm to have it done but we will be back in the US pretty soon and feel it is better for him in the long run.

"The circumcision rate in the United States is now below 40% (and much lower in some parts of the country), down from 81% in 1981. More than 60% of all baby boys in the U.S. leave the hospital intact, as more and more parents realize that circumcision is unnecessary.

Approximately 75% of the men in the world are not circumcised and remain intact throughout their lives." (https://intactamerica.org/resources/decision)

Although it is true that there is still a great number of men who are circumcised in the USA, that number is dropping and the percentage that is still prevalent is most likely because of religious beliefs.

I only suggest you thoroughly research this and not base a medical decision purely upon where you're located as you or your son might choose to relocate himself in the future.

I am highly aware that the rate is falling, however the OP asked for our reasons why and I gave them. It is extremely insulting to act as though I am an incompetent idiot because I didn't quote statistics about male circumcision rates, that is not what you asked for. you asked why we had chosen this and those are our reasons. you are really on a power trip acting as though you are the only person here who has ever researched this subject. Why would I quote this woman statistics that she can easily find on google just like anyone else. What exactly was the point of your post asking for opinions if when someone disagrees (which i really didn't disagree, I don't think everyone should be or not be circumcised) with the exact opinion you have you are attacking them with all the reasons they should change their mind?

 

[starshinebby]

Also, I think it's important to point out that there is such a thing as female circumcision that is hardly ever brought up. The procedures were referred to as female circumcision until the early 1980s, when the term "female genital mutilation" came into use. The term isn't commonly known now and we generally leave female babies intact (i.e., not cutting off the clitoris). If you think about it, we're doing the same to the males by cutting off the foreskin as they were cutting off the clitoris.

I know I'd be pretty damn upset knowing my parents made the decision to remove my clitoris as it is a primary pleasure spot in women. I couldn't imagine circumcising a female baby, so I'm wondering why should the thought of circumcising a male baby be any different? Opinions?

You asked for an opinion so I am going to put this out there. the 2 cannot be compared. removing the clitoris of a female can cause permanent damage including: infertility, loss of sexual desire, extreme pain during intercourse, and constant unbearable pain from the extraction sight. The forskin is not necessary for ejaculation nor for sexual pleasure where the clitoris IS necessary. these 2 things should never be compared because they are totally different things. This is for the most part only practiced by religious extremists and is usually accompanied by the sewing together of the labia or even the complete closure if the vagina and a wedding night ritual of cutting the threads. It is banned in almost every modern society in the world and for good reason.

Thank you for your opinion, but I don't see why the two cannot be compared. There are four types of female circumcision, and one is the removal of the clitoral hood, which would have become the foreskin if the baby had been a male.

The foreskin has a number of uses. It actually can be sexual pleasurable especially for masturbation, just as the clitoris is. These two forms of circumcision can be compared as they are the same, the only difference is gender.

 

[starshinebby]

My husband is circumcised and if this baby is a boy he will be too. We considered not doing it because it does have a very religious connotation and we are both Atheist, closer to Anti-theists, but in the end I feel it is something I would want done if I were a boy who were being raised in the USA. Most of the population is circumcised (at least where I am from) and teens can be cruel. If we were going to live in Germany we would probably forgo it because here it is really not the norm to have it done but we will be back in the US pretty soon and feel it is better for him in the long run.

"The circumcision rate in the United States is now below 40% (and much lower in some parts of the country), down from 81% in 1981. More than 60% of all baby boys in the U.S. leave the hospital intact, as more and more parents realize that circumcision is unnecessary.

Approximately 75% of the men in the world are not circumcised and remain intact throughout their lives." (https://intactamerica.org/resources/decision)

Although it is true that there is still a great number of men who are circumcised in the USA, that number is dropping and the percentage that is still prevalent is most likely because of religious beliefs.

I only suggest you thoroughly research this and not base a medical decision purely upon where you're located as you or your son might choose to relocate himself in the future.

I am highly aware that the rate is falling, however the OP asked for our reasons why and I gave them. It is extremely insulting to act as though I am an incompetent idiot because I didn't quote statistics about male circumcision rates, that is not what you asked for. you asked why we had chosen this and those are our reasons. you are really on a power trip acting as though you are the only person here who has ever researched this subject. Why would I quote this woman statistics that she can easily find on google just like anyone else. What exactly was the point of your post asking for opinions if when someone disagrees (which i really didn't disagree, I don't think everyone should be or not be circumcised) with the exact opinion you have you are attacking them with all the reasons they should change their mind?

I was only pointing it out, it wasn't meant to be insulting. I'm not attacking anyone, sorry you took it as me attacking you. I'm sorry you took it that way, I apologize.

 

[Jarenk]

I think it's totally up to the parent. A child is incapable of making a decision. For those saying "not your penis," "should be the child's decision," I wonder how you feel about piercing the ears of infant girls. Not your ears to pierce.

anyway, moving on from that. I am all for it because I won't be the mom cleaning under the foreskin many times throughout the day. Also, it would be a lot to ask a 6 year old to clean under the foreskin multiple times a day.

It boils down to the choice of the parent.

 

[starshinebby]

I'm for it and all my boys were circumcised using the latest techniques and pain relief/anaesthetic methods by highly qualified urologist surgeons with up to 30 years experience in the NHS and privately. I wouldn't be happy to have it done by a regular run of the mill family doctor or paediatrician as I don't believe they are specialist enough. My reasons are both religious and for health reasons. My family are atheists but believe circumcision is better. We also arranged a circumcision for a teenage member of OH's family as his mum had decided to leave it up to him and he had always wanted it done we assumed the clinic he went to must mainly have religious clients but we soon realised that he was the only religious/ethnic client they had had, most of their clients were white, non religious English men and boys of various ages and they said to us there was an increasing demand for their services xx

I'm glad to hear the doctors who did the procedure were thoroughly trained, and it's interesting to hear about the circumcision for the teenage member of your OH's family. May I ask if he felt better knowing that his mother allowed him to make the decision for himself when he was ready?

That is the way I'd like to do. Leave our son intact for now and if he wants it removed later on he may choose to do so. I'd feel better knowing it's his choice, not one I made for him. I think that's what I worry about the most. That I'll choose to have him circumcised and he'll end up trying to restore his lost foreskin through foreskin restoration. I was worried that circumcising later in life for a non-medical reason wasn't a procedure that was typically done, but from the sounds of it it is an option.

Thank you for your post, I'm more confident now in my choice of leaving our son intact knowing that if he wants a circumcised penis he can do so later in life.

 

[Annie77]

I am not in favour of circumcision and certainly will not get it done should I have a boy, unless there are strong medical indications for it (my friends son foreskin would not retract by age of 5 so he got circumcised).

One poster made a comment about a 6 year old washing under hs foreskin - why not? All 6 year olds should be taught adequate personal hygiene around this age. I have never needed to wash my daughters privates since she was about 4 but I do have to nag her about washing her hands thoroughly!

It is my belief that circumcisions purely for hygiene are not required. A good education in personal hygiene is suffice.

 

[starshinebby]

I am not in favour of circumcision and certainly will not get it done should I have a boy, unless there are strong medical indications for it (my friends son foreskin would not retract by age of 5 so he got circumcised).

One poster made a comment about a 6 year old washing under hs foreskin - why not? All 6 year olds should be taught adequate personal hygiene around this age. I have never needed to wash my daughters privates since she was about 4 but I do have to nag her about washing her hands thoroughly!

It is my belief that circumcisions purely for hygiene are not required. A good education in personal hygiene is suffice.

I agree about personal hygiene. I don't know about everyone else but most teach their daughters how to properly clean herself, so why should it be any different with a boy to the point where it's easier to just snip the foreskin off instead of teaching him to be responsible for cleaning himself?

It isn't a lot to ask a 5 or 6 year old to properly retract and clean under his foreskin. Most parents remind their child to brush their teeth or wash behind their ears, so adding, "Make sure to wash beneath your foreskin," isn't too much to ask especially if you start at a young age by teaching him to properly wash himself before his foreskin retracts.

 

[torch2010]

I think it's totally up to the parent. A child is incapable of making a decision. For those saying "not your penis," "should be the child's decision," I wonder how you feel about piercing the ears of infant girls. Not your ears to pierce.

anyway, moving on from that. I am all for it because I won't be the mom cleaning under the foreskin many times throughout the day. Also, it would be a lot to ask a 6 year old to clean under the foreskin multiple times a day.

It boils down to the choice of the parent.

I do agree with not your penis not your decision and I feel the same way about ears being pierced. My daughter had her ears pierced when she was old enough to ask and make a fully informed decision.

A six year old should know how to clean their private parts and as someone else pointed out I too have not had to clean my children's private parts since 4-5 years old. Removing the fore skin for hygiene reasons almost seems lazy. Many many mothers have managed very well with fore skin fully intact.

However I do agree that it is 100% the parents choice

 

[Zfbaby]

Dh and I had this conversation before I was even pg. I come from a family/culture/religion where circumcision is the norm. At first I thought that was what I wanted should we have a boy.
Once I knew we WERE having a boy I had to give the matter some serious consideration and completely contrary to my upbringing I have decided to leave my son intact. for me the pros in no way out weighed the cons.
I won't go into those reasons in detail as it seems to be quite an explosive topic but I will say I grew up with circumcised males being the norm, have had circumcised partners and I am now married to an uncircumcised male who left the decision totally up to me. The point of not looking like his father or other boys at school never came up for us. If after doing more research I had found it was medically beneficial I would do it but I haven't.

 

[Jess137]

I think it's totally up to the parent. A child is incapable of making a decision. For those saying "not your penis," "should be the child's decision," I wonder how you feel about piercing the ears of infant girls. Not your ears to pierce.

anyway, moving on from that. I am all for it because I won't be the mom cleaning under the foreskin many times throughout the day. Also, it would be a lot to ask a 6 year old to clean under the foreskin multiple times a day.

It boils down to the choice of the parent.

I just wanted to say that un circumcised men do not have to clean under the foreskin multiple tines a day. DH only cleans it in his daily shower and it takes 2 seconds. He has no issues with cleanliness or smells.

 

[Guppy051708]

If you circ and get offended easily, dont read this. I dont mean to offend, Im just sharing my personal reasons. So dont feel obliged to read. i just want to answer the OP, i have no intentions of offending anyone nor do i have any intentions of defending my perspective.

Spoiler

Our boys are left intact and so will this one, should it be a boy. Science has proven time and time again that there really are not any medical benefits to the procedure. Im in the States, where it's still popular (but it is decreasing! so i dont worry about my boys being made fun of...thats rediculous and even if it was still common i got made fun often because my boobs are shaped funny and arn't that big...not like someone's cutting them off). Also, contrary to popular belief the foreskin does help during intercourse, not just for the man, but for the woman as well. I wish i could find the diagram, i'll try to keep looking and link it once i do, but anyways the shape of an intact penis fits inside the vagina much better. Some women find it painful to have intercourse with a circed male. Also the foreskin helps provide lubrication which helps with friction for the male AND the female. And it can be painful to not have that lubrication for both. As well it is the most sensitive part of the male body. And it is the equivalent to the clitoris. There is many reasons why men in the USA need things like Viagra to keep their stuff up and one of the #1 causes is because of the fact that they are circed (you cut off something like 60,000+ nerves when you circ) In the United States it is ILLEGAL to "circumcise" a female. Why do our baby boys not deserve this right? Their body, their choice. Usually i say it's the parent's choice, but for this, i dont think it should be. For us, there are no benefits. Should something happen that my boys need to be circed, we will cross that bridge when (and if) we get to it. Having a true medical reason is one thing but to do it "preventativly" (for something that likely wont be a problem anyways) just seems ludacris to me. Im not trying to be graphic but its not like we are cutting off the breasts of baby girl or teenage females just because they might get breast cancer. It sounds a bit fetched, but honestly, how is it any different?

speaking of breasts, circ can also hinder breastfeeding efforts. Babys, even after a medicated circ, are in so much pain, their brain "shuts off" (persay) they get tired they dont want to be awake, they are in pain. Some women dont have problems with this, but it is yet another risk. Milk supply can totally be impacted from it.

Every male i know (except for one) is circed. Even DH is circed. So leaving my boys intact is def outside of the norm, but im not about ready to just make the popular choice. Not when it comes with a risk. The risks are high with circs. Most dont even realize it, especially bc the procedure is done so often here, but there are very real and very common risks to it.
As said, DH is circed. I have a friend who said "his dad wanted him to be the same so we circed him". Fine no judgement on that, but for US, im glad my DH did his research and was man enough to say "ya know what? we will teach our boys why daddy looks different." Its as simple as that. besides that im kind of thinking they arnt going to be standing around comparing their penises very often anways, but he is fully confident and ready to tell him why we chose differently for our children, should the need arise. We arn't scared of differences and we certainly arn't scared of explaining to them about the natural body parts, that they were born with, and how to keep them clean.

on top of all of this. It violates the doctors code of ethics. First one :do NO harm.

NOTE: i am not judging ppl on their choice to circ, i am simply stating why we dont, why probably wont ever, and my PERSONAL view on it.

 

[Courtney917]

Neither of my boys are circumcised. No issues with UTI, they're perfectly healthy. It's a personal decision.