Should we circumcise?
My wife and I are trying to have a baby. One of the biggest concerns we have if it is a boy is circumcision. I am circumcised and my first reaction is to say "Well I wouldn't go back so it is the right choice". But unfortunately there is more to it than that. Circumcision started, in my mind, to remove sexual pleasure from the male because sex was the road to sin and only for reproduction and should not be enjoyed. Many nerves are removed from circumcision and I have heard sex is more pleasurable for males not circumcised, but unfortunately that is hard to know for sure.
Then there is the idea that it is a part of our culture now and completely acceptable. But what is it really other than male genital mutilation? They say that is is healthier, but I have also heard that the data for that claim is inconclusive.
Female circumcision disgust me and yet many cultures practice it. To them it is normal. I am sure that uncircumcised females in those cultures have "ugly" vaginas to them just as a lot of women have told me that an uncircumcised penis is "ugly".
I have seen a circumcision and it is horrifying. I dont know if I should do this to my future son. There is the part of me that thinks it is normal and I should. Then there is the part of me that sees it as another brutal religious act setup by an ancient brutal god to remove our sexuality that we, for some reason, still practice like idiots. Then we go through all this trouble to "prove" it is healthy to mutilate sex organs to justify the insane act.
What are some of your thoughts on this?
Tags: circumcision, mutilation
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Fluffy McDeath on -
In years to come your son will be a man like you. The question is not are you comfortable with your decision to circumcise your son but are you comfortable with your parents decision to circumcise you?
I have also heard the "look like dad" argument but I do not know of any evidence for this. Generally the time when genitals start to be more important to a male's psyche, dad is much less important than peers and peer expectations. Also, if your family moves to another part of the world you may find your son feels like an outsider. Circumcision is much less common in Europe for example than in places with more privatized health care like the US.
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Permalink Reply by archaeopteryx on -
Speaking of chestnuts, you doin' OK?
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Permalink Reply by Unseen on -
Oh, yeah. My father's parting was anything but a surprise, and with all the suffering he went through toward the end, his death was a relief to the suffering my brother and sister and I went through empathizing with him. I have my sad moments over the loss, but I probably always will.
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Permalink Reply by archaeopteryx on
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Yeah, you will, especially when it comes to things you should have done or said, and didn't, or the things you did do or say, and shouldn't have.
My dad's been gone for 35 years, and I still do. I'd like just one more day.
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Permalink Reply by matt.clerke on -
You are thinking about a cosmetic surgical procedure (with significant, real, risks) for a baby who hasn't even been born yet. Doesn't that sound crazy?
... it is crazy...
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Permalink Reply by Dale Headley on
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Circumcision is child abuse, pure and simple. It is wholly unnecessary, despite an occasional phony study claiming that it promotes health. The U.S. is the ONLY country that routinely circumcises its infants, just as it is the only developed country that permits everybody to run around with guns. Even in Israel, it is mainly a religious ritual, not a cultural norm. When people ask me why I despise religion so much, I give this as one of my many reasons.
Furthermore, this is just another piece of evidence that the U.S., despite its massive military and grotesquely rich billionaires, is a third world country. As the rest of the world moves forward into the 21st century, leaving behind religion and developing technologies of the future, the U.S. stubbornly clings to past glories - the glories of the 19th century. Our bridges collapse, our sewers crumble, our electrical grid shuts down often; but we choose to do nothing about it. What does this have to do with circumcision? It's all a part of our collective ignorance.
In case you were wondering: NO, I was NOT circumcised, thank goodness and the Depression.
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Permalink Reply by James Cox on
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"Circumcision started, in my mind, to remove sexual pleasure from the male because sex was the road to sin and only for reproduction and should not be enjoyed.."
So would a life be better with lots of pleasure and atleast the opportunity of sin, or not? Seems like one of the best gifts a father could offer his son, other than a car and an expense account..;p). Anyway, allow atleast one thing, that latter could be a bonding point between you and your son, stories about sexual conquest, and enlightenment as to the male mysteries! Sadly, I never had this opportunity with my father, having rejected smoking, sex abuse, drinking, guns, hunting, and killing small animals for 'sport'....LOL
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Permalink Reply by Matt Thomas on -
My parents opted to give me the choice. I chose to have it removed, but at least that was my choice.
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Permalink Reply by Shark Bear on -
For the love of god don't do it! :)
But seriously as someone who is only missing his tonsils and adenoids I am glad to be au naturel.
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Permalink Reply by Belle Rose on -
DON'T DO IT!!!!!!! Do you really want your newborn baby recovering from birth AND surgery at the same time? Circumcision is an unnecessary and very painful practiice with absolutely no positive outcome for the child whatsoever. PLEASE don't do it!!!!! It is rooted in religious practices. It is useless, and it is torturous.
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