Cultural circumcision in babies/young boys

[junipermarten]

1 of my DS's is circumcised due to a medical issue, he was 3 at the time and it was bloody horrific.

When he was going through it, a good friend gave me tips on after care and offered the number of a private doctor. She has sons who were circumcised shortly after birth for religious reasons.

I personally don't agree with circumcision unless medically required however I respect others choices for religious reasons.

It got me thinking about the high % of boys in the US who are circumcised for cultural reasons, just over 2/3rds. Why is it so prevalent there?

I was having a look at % of male pop per country and the highest were mainly Islamic, but also Samoa was almost 100% which surprised me but apparently its cultural as opposed to religious (I think).

@SpaceMonitor

Phimosis, paraphimosis, balanaposthiyis and recurrent UTIs are conditions that can be cured (or prevented if they run in families) by circumcision. It can reduce risk of penile cancer, and HPV (though hpv vaccines are now available) as well as having a role in reduction of risk related to getting HIV, though obv safe sex is the best way to prevent this. The risks of all these conditions are low, it must be said.

Obstetricians in the US generally do circumcision and have a lot of experience so complications of the procedure itself are rare.

@mathanxiety i'm in Canada it is was common practice 40 years ago.
i'm sure like everywhere there is less and less of this (there is evidence of this for canada new zealand and australia).

@mathanxiety I'm sure I read somewhere that in order to prevent just 1 case of penile cancer you'd need to do 20,000 circumcisions ....

I think it's grim, I remember sleeping with someone circumcised and not know what to do with it - I wanted to say, er, you're missing a bit here.

I would never have chopped a bit off ds when he was born, I can't get my head around parents that get it done, they always come up with such random reasons to justify it that I wonder why they don't also get all their kids teeth pulled out when they come through - there are so many things that can go wrong with teeth. I just think it's an awful thing to do to your baby <shudder>.

If you follow the "things could go wrong" logic, then we should be taking tonsils, gallbladders and appendixes out of newborns as a matter of course.

Genuinely interested to hear someone tell me the difference between the above and removing a part of your babies / child's body.

It’s medieval. I come from a culture where it’s standard and my parents were livid when I refused to have my DS done. You don’t cut healthy body parts off babies and children

It was just a normal NHS procedure? What area are you in if you don't mind me asking? Wouldn't get that here! We were told not to circumcise ours due to a slight issue with his penis anyway but if never crossed my mind

The vast majority of circumcisions are not followed by anything other than a few weeks of healing. We DO do things like remove teeth and put braces on children, to avoid over crowding. I try to avoid unnecessary surgery so it’s a no thanks from me but the vast majority of my male relatives are circumcised and all of my husbands.

No, I don't respect anything that removes bits of babies unnecessarily just because their religion dictates. I'm sure if any god wanted it removing he would have invented the penis sans foreskin.

How does everyone feel about female circumcision, then?

its such a sensitive area, the thought of being circumcised and having the bare glans and head rub against my pants all day and night makes me cross my legs and cringe.

aren’t there massive issues with desensitisation as one ages? Also more likely to use porn and have a death grip because vaginal sex just doesn’t do it in the same way when you’re desensitised?

alll the religions who believe god designed people in his image are the same ones who think we should chop a bit of the male body off if we want to be in their club… so saying god got it wrong? A fallacy in there somewhere that needs considering.

unless there is a very very good medical reason (which we know is exception not the rule, and will show up later in life and need recovery time after, like any major organ surgery) let’s not mutilate our sons.

@TheHauntedPencilCase @walkinthewoodstoday

This was in N. London, our NHS practice didn’t perform them but another in the area did, they ran a weekly clinic and charged a very small fee (I think £10?).

My DH had it done aged 6, without anaesthetic, in a ceremony with all his age mates! (They performed the procedure behind closed doors) He was adamant he would only want his sons to have it done when newborns, and with anaesthetic.

@Mumtobabyhavoc I have supported many women in the past who have suffered FGM. My closest friend is a survivor of FGM and tirelessly campaigned for a change in the law for years, and she herself has circumcised sons. To compare the two completely minimises the horrific nature of FGM, they are absolutely nothing alike.

you mean female genital mutilation (fgm)

its abhorrent and akin to cutting off the whole head of the penis.

usually done by people who think there is something shameful about being a woman and that they should cut it out of us to remove female sexual desire and make women more easy to control.

the worst thing is it’s happening more than you think to young girls who aren’t given a choice, in the U.K.

I don't with it but I had DS circumsized as a baby because his dad insisted he too has had the same procedure. Although his dad is Christian religion infact we both are.

I just think it's cruel and nobody's parts should be interfered with unless it's due to a medical reasons.

You'll know then that there are a whole heap of different types of FGM ranging in severity and the only reason we say FGM and not MGM is political. Its still mutilation when its done to a boy

Unless there’s a medical reason for it I think it should not be allowed on boys until they are at an age where they can give consent. I would say this includes religious reasons - people need to be able to consent to something which has no medical benefits getting done to their body.

This

My sons had it done for religious reasons, though I was also aware of medical benefits through reading (including to their partners who will have reduced risk of cervical cancer). To me it was similar to a vaccination, not pleasant but they can have Calpol and get over it quickly!

@bellac11 yes I am well aware and I would argue that even the “least severe” form of FGM is still on a whole other level to infant male circumcision where risks and ethical considerations are concerned.

The way that babies scream as it's being done tells me it's unnecessary.

I expect that’s to make sure if anyone is going to do it, the option to get it done in a sterile environment is there and not because drs think it’s a great idea.

No one should be allowed to cuts parts off or pierce a child's body unless medically necessary. It's crazy that we let parents mutilate their children.

What fascinates me is that this is an ancient ritual in some cultures and religions but how did it get started? Who was the first circumcised baby, who did it to them and why?
I have two sons and a husband- all uncircumcised and have only slept with one circumcised man. DH has two brothers, both uncircumcised. It’s not commonplace in UK outside of certain communities.