...to believe that piercing a baby's ears is abusive

[TheAlphaParent]

1. It causes unnecessary pain.
2. It removes choice and respect for bodily autonomy.
3. It puts the infant at risk of infection.
4. It provides no benefit to the infant.

I'd be interested in hearing from any pro-piercing parents; However if you're anti-piercing, I urge you to sign this recently approved Government petition:

epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20646

P.S. I know this is an old school debate, but the Government are yet to act, so the piercing of babies debate is still hugely relevant.

It's only got 3 signatures and the closing date is today?

YANBU though

Most parents would be horrified to see a young baby wearing lipstick and eye shadow, so why would they want to decorate them by punching holes in their ears?

OH PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

YANBU. It's awful.

Agree with you OP, will follow the link, but will also not follow this thread anymore as I need to relax.

Thanks for posting the link though

YANBU

YANBU but seeing a baby with pierced ears doesn't make me want to dial SS.

Not again ,please not again

YABU.

There are lots of children who have suffered abuse who would rather have had their ears pierced I'm sure.

Is it your petition? I've signed it but wouldn't hold out great hopes for success. Wish you well with it, though.
It's one of those things that, when you see it written in black and white, you wonder why it hasn't happened already.

YAB massively U. I would never in a million years get my baby's ears pierced, but the idea that its 'abuse' is daft. Real abuse ruins children's lives, and weakening the term by applying it to any example of less than perfect parenting is dangerous. So I'm not clear why the government should act, but then I'm sick of the assumption that parents are incapable of raising their children without constant fussing and prodding by the state.

1. Yes but the baby isn't exactly going to remember it. It will have no longterm impact
2. I don't think babies worry much about their "bodily autonomy". And they can easily chose to let the piercings close over in later life. I had my ears done in my teens and they've closed over now as I can't be arsed wearing earings.
3. A risk which I presume is very small if piercings are cared for properly
4. When I get my ears pierced in my teens I would have delighted to have got it over with as a baby. At least you don't remember the pain.

Not a fan of seeing babies ears pierced, I think it's unnessessary.

I love i. I think it is pretty and feminine and babies don't feel pain like adults do.

"got" not "get"

you could say the same things about circumcision but people still do that. government are not going to make that illegal either. i would let it go op.

Just because there are far worse forms of abuse, doesn't mean it's not abusive to have holes punched in your babies ears to decorate her/him.

everyone said my dd looked like a boy. even when she was wearing her pink tracksuit.

way to sort that was to pierce her ears.

she now wears hoops.

YABU. Its a bit wierd but its not abuse. My mum had mine done when I was 18 months. She tells me that they tried to refuse her and she told them you do it or I will with a needle (my g'pa was a vet and thats how hers were done ) That's all that will happen if you stop proper piercers doing it

I have two sets of holes, the ones done as a baby which never close up or gave me any problems other than mum getting pissed off i lost earrings and another set done when I was a teen, which got infected despite keeping them crazy clean and keep trying to close on me and are bloody wonky!! but neither did a fraction of the damage to me that living with an emotionally abusive mother did. Sorry, its not abuse!

Pink headband?

Well I can't sign it because I took little girl to have her ears pierced just before her 6th Birthday.

SixStringWidow - you do know that plenty of boys have their ears pierced?

'Babies don't feel pain like adults do'

Really?

Worraliberty IMO it is very dangerous to weaken the concept of "abuse". It is inappropriate to identify relatively harmless (if less than perfect) behaviour as abuse when we as a society have enough on our plate trying to adequately identify, help and protect children who have genuinely been abused. If ear piercing is 'abusive' then what next? Trips to MacDonald's? Sodding Fruitshoots?

I would wait until a DC was old enough to decide, but I wouldn't sign a petition-I wouldn't tell others what to do (or not do).