Circumcision

[muma19]

DP wants DS circumcised however I don't. I also have MIL getting involved and pressuring me. What do I do? I want to be fair to my partner but I really don't want him veg for circumcised. HELP!!!!

Circumcision is cleaner and safer for boys than not - especially when it comes to AIDS and other highly damaging STDs (think death and severe neurological damage) according to the CDC and Scientific American: www.scientificamerican.com/article/male-circumcision-benefits-outweigh-risks-cdc-says/.

Genital mutilation of any child or adult is disgusting.

Circumcision is cleaner and safer for boys than not - especially when it comes to AIDS and other highly damaging STDs

Condoms are even cleaner and safer

room32 so far as I am aware this topic has never come up between my DS & DH. They are respectively 20s & 50s. One is, one isnt. You cant tell by looking at them clothed. I dont get this 'belonging'. I dont think it is customary for men to whip them out and compare at family gatherings.

Using a condom is an even better way of STI prevention, theSon. . No one should be having unprotected sex with someone they haven't had a full STI screen with, anyhow.

Before our first child was born (ended up being a girl) we talked to the doctor about it, and she recommended not too. Inherent risks (although rare) far outweighed those of not getting it done. When we took our daughter in for her first vaccines, we heard a baby just screaming away in the next room. He was a new born, strapped to a board being circumcised. When our son was born a few years later, I still remembered that baby's screams, so it was an easy decision not to get him snipped. We did however have a problem a few years later when he started showering by himself, he was afraid to retract his foreskin because he thought the end of his penis would fall off. He is now 17 but we still laugh about it.

DS is consequently not done, however it's up to you and your DH to decide.

Is that the same if you prefer people to just have one ear or maybe a couple fewer fingers? If you think that elbows are ugly or useless? Is that up to the parents too?

We all have to make choices on behalf of our children when they're young, but to arbitrarily decide that you want to irreversibly cut a part off your baby son or daughter because of what YOU think looks somehow 'nicer' is barbaric - and, in the latter case, rightly illegal.

Medical - Yes.

Cultural - No, its not your DH's penis.

Yes imagine it,a child being strapped to a wooden board and being mutilated. Imagine it for cultural reasons where it isnt even done as a proper surgical procedure in a hospital but my maybe a doctor of the same culture in his surgery or a mohel.

Condoms are only partially effective (less than 98%) and only if used prior to any genital contact and many males put a condom on after initial genital contact.

As for it being the same as FGM - only a nut would make the correlation, that's like saying piercing your nose is the same as having the nose removed.

When our son was born a few years later, I still remembered that baby's screams, so it was an easy decision not to get him snipped.

Not getting at you, but barring GENUINE medical emergencies, why would it ever be a 'decision' to make?

"Here's our beautiful perfect new-born baby. However, we need to decide if we're going to have him or her irreversibly mutilated or not..."

@ShakeYourTailFeathers
DP is Jewish and his family is very much practising so it's not going to take a genius to figure out everyone else on that side of the family is circumcised but him (also, urinals?). I actually agree with DP that it might alienate him somewhat - but that's something we'll have to work through.

Surely, you get intimate with somebody because of mutual attraction of various kinds - physical, personality, how they treat you etc - I would have thought that expressing a preference based on whether one of you does or doesn't have a normal flap of skin is overspecific in the extreme.

This is excellently put. Actually, your whole post is excellently put WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll (and your username is also excellent )

Don't the Americans get it done as it is supposed to stop masturbation?

I think that was the motivation behind the 'circumcision drive', but I'd be amazed if that's why it's still going on. It seems to be a badge of honour in modern American culture - I've seen several TV shows / films with storylines which (it seems to me) ridicule "uncut" men. I wouldn't be surprised if there were a big backlash against that kind of representation in the foreseeable future.

There are 4 identified levels of FGM (all of them rightly illegal) and I believe most male circumcisions are approximately equivalent to level 2 in females.

Should we say that rape is acceptable, because it's not 'as bad as' murder?

it's not going to take a genius to figure out everyone else on that side of the family is circumcised but him (also, urinals?)

Looking at other peoples' penises while using the urinals is a quick route to getting beat up.

Is it cleaner to remove a girl's clitoral hood? would he want that if you have a daughter? Thought not. It's absolutely vile and unnecessary disguised as culture /religious need.

you don't have to want it for your own child but a significant proportion of the world's population consider it part of their religion/culture and it's clearly not that harmful.

A significant proportion of the world's population think that FGM is part of their culture.

A significant part of the world's population think that having women completely covered up is a part of their religion/culture.

A significant proportion of the world's population think that beating children is a good idea and part of their culture.

A significant part of the worlds population think that vaccines are dangerous.

Being popular doesn't make something right.

It's actually quite harmless to remove a little finger. A person can live their whole life with no little finger and suffer no ill consequence.

But why would I do that??

If you vaccinate, you should circumcise as per the CDC findings on circumcision and vaccination: www.scientificamerican.com/article/male-circumcision-benefits-outweigh-risks-cdc-says/
www.cdc.gov/vaccines/index.html

Absolutely disgusting practice, I hope that soon it will have the same push back as FGM.
There are 4 identified levels of FGM (all of them rightly illegal) and I believe most male circumcisions are approximately equivalent to level 2 in females.
This is what I dont get why is it ok to mutilate boys and not girls?

It’s barbaric

We could remove the appendix, spleen and tonsils soon after birth too, come to think of it.

Scientific research shows that those without an appendix are much less likely to get appendicitis. And those without tonsils never get tonsillitis!

Both of my son's are American, born and raised, the oldest is in his mid-40's - neither one has been circumcised. Both are very glad by the way.

It's a terrible thing to do to a baby/child. It's abuse.

room32 I think there are unwritten rules about men looking at each other in urinals. According to DH they look straight ahead and avoid standing near each other.

*We could remove the appendix, spleen and tonsils soon after birth too, come to think of it.

Scientific research shows that those without an appendix are much less likely to get appendicitis. And those without tonsils never get tonsillitis!*
Same arguments as the anti-vaccinators. I assume those who say its barbaric or mutilation also don't vaccinate so trying to educate is futile.