We had our son circumcised, but I do regret it at times. I think we did it mainly because we thought it was "routine". After all, I have 5 brothers- they're all circumcised. I have many nephews, and they have all been circumcised, as well. My husband and his brother were both circumcised. Unfortunately, though, just because all the guys I know are circumcised no longer feels like a good enough reason to have had my son circumcised. If we are blessed with another son later on down the road, this would be an issue for us.
I certainly would not want it to ever become a court case, however. This poor boy. Now his parents have drawn major attention to it.
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We circumsized Jack, too, mostly because it was the "normal" expected thing to do. I never thought to question or research the issue...every male I've ever known has been circ'd. However, I have since become much more educated on the topic and as a result have a considerable amount of guilt about having put him through such a traumatic and medically unneccesary procedure, especially so young (1 day old). When I became pregnant with the baby I'm carrying now, my husband and I had several heated discussions about whether we'd circ. the baby if it were a boy...I said "No way!", he said "But Jack and I are, won't the new baby feel different?" My response? You and Jack have blond hair, what if the new baby has brown hair? Would that be an issue? and of course it wouldn't be, so it's funny when it comes to genitals it is! But we finally did settle on the decision to not circumsize if we were having a boy. However, we found out we're having a little girl so it's become a non-issue!
hi Kim,
We are very similar in this issue. Dh and I also had discussions our last pregnancy. (ended in m/c, uunfortunately, it's no longer an issue right now). After watching a vidoe of a live circumcision, my dh seemed more understanding of why I would opt to NOT circ. another son if we had one. What a relief!
Great point about their hair being different colors, and how that doesn't bother them but geintals do. I understand genitals are more important to the anatomy, but in my opinion, that's even more a reson to leave them alone. lol
Congrats on that little girl! :) I bet Jack will be such a wonderful big brother.
I don't have a son but don't circumcised men have a lower incidence of cancer (penis cancer?).
You talk about how traumatic it is for a 1-day old child to be circumcised. The whole birth process is traumatic. No one 'remembers' the 'trauma' they went through and if someone tells you they do, they're lying.
You might want to base your decision on facts and not feelings.
Lynne,
I first would like to say thanks for stopping by and welcome. :)
Also, you wrote, You might want to base your decision on facts and not feelings.
I don't know many people that make decisions exclusive of their feelings. Our feelings are important and with a properly formed conscience, have a moral say in what we choose or do not choose. To say we should ignore our feelings, especially as a parent, will never be correct to me. As a parent, I am most guided by my feelings and instincts.
Now on to why I said I would rather not cir. another boy if we have one.
My decision WAS based on facts. It is a FACT that babies do feel that pain. It is a FACT that circumcision is not medically necessary. As you mentioned, you heard circumcised boys are at greater risk for cancer. Here are a few other FACTS that steer me in my regret and future decision making: (from Dr. Sears website)
Medical benefits - THERE ARE NONE! Do not circumcise your baby because you think there are some medical benefits. A recent review by the American Academy of Pediatrics looked at all the data from the past decades to see if there truly were any medical benefits. Their conclusion - NO. There are no significant medical benefits that make circumcision worth doing.
Leave nature alone - whether you believe God created men with a foreskin, or nature simply evolved this way, there must be some reason men have foreskins. Why change something that God/nature has created?
Sensation and sexual pleasure - the foreskin is filled with nerves, and is therefore extremely sensitive to touch. This enhances sexual pleasure.
Protects the glans (head) of the penis - the glans is another highly sensitive area. The foreskin protects the glans from constant rubbing and chaffing against clothing that can desensitize it over the years. This preserves sexual pleasure.
There are many other sources of info. out there. Dr. Sears is a well-know pediatrician. Our pediatrician expressed the same thoughts.
Just some facts to ponder!
As a guy who CHOOSE to have himself circumcised at 40 years of age for purely personal, cosmetic and sexual reasons my only regret is that I didn't pluck up the courage to get it done much earlier and really wish my parents had been more forcefull in wanting me circumcised and not allow the doctor talk them out of it.
As far as I'm concerned, there are no downsides to male circumcision, only benefits.
anonymous- what do you say are the benefits? Just curious, since you're the first person I've come across that could offer experience on both ends.
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