[JCDX2]

I do not have the time right now to read through all of the responses, but some people think that circumcision is not medically necessary - it is a choice. Well, it our case, with one of our sons, it was medically necessary. Jaydon had a 3rd degree Hypospadias with severe Chordee when he was born, and his foreskin was necessary to rebuild an artificial urethra so he could pee and perform sexually like a "normal" male. His first surgery was at 20 months old (111 stitches, mostly inside), and he will have a final surgery in 2008 at the age of 6.

[LovingJesusinAZ]

I know I am joining the debate late. We had our son circumcised because DH knows a couple of men who had to have it done as adults and DH didn't want DS to have to face that.

I will say that the Dr.'s and nurses did try to make him as comfortable as possible and the only time he was mad was when they took off his diaper. An hour before the procedure they put a gauze pad with a numbing gel on him. When they did the procedure they gave him a shot of numbing agent (novacaine or something similar, I presume). When they brought him back to me about 15 mins later he was sleeping.

I made my mom buy Infants' Tylenol on her way to the house (it was done first thing in the morning the day we were discharged) in case he needed something for the pain when the topical anesthetic wore off. He never needed anything for the pain.

DH was very adamant about having it done so we did it.

[mommy2067]

I will make this brief...14 yrs ago my son was cirumcized and I know I was upset at the time (so was he...a little) ...but part of that was b/c we were waiting to go home and the doc was late and my baby was hungry but I couldn't feed him before the procedure.. but he quickly calmed down afterwards when he was put back into my arms and able to nurse...I believe that if my DH and I have a son together we will likely get him circed too...(even if it does cost money now...14 yrs ago it was free)...I know a few little boys who have had problems later on in childhood and had to have it done at an older age...when it was far more painful and they can more readily remember the experience...(not saying somewhere in the sub-conscious they don't...) Also, there is some recent research that has been done that indicates there maybe a link b/w uncirced men and HPV...(having said that there may be an issue of unprotected sex there also but in any case!!!)...I just wanted to throw in my 2 cents that's all...

[hennypenny]

We did not have our son circumcised. In my family, it is considered the 'norm' in our culture to get boys circumcised, but I don't care. Whilst it is not necessary, I will not be allowing him to get done. If I were of a religion that did believe in circumcision, then I still would not believe that gave me a right to put my religious beliefs on my son. I don't believe it's the church's business to interfere with someone else's baby's genitals.
If there is a medical reason why he needs to get it done, we will get it done then. If he grows up wishing he was circumcised, he can choose to have it done as an adult.
Also, someone mentioned ear piercing. I am the same with ear piercing, I don't believe in piercing a little baby's ears either, I don't think it's right or fair

[kennylove]

Forget looks! That's a pain I will save! My mother terrified me once by stating she was going to take me in and have me done. I still get the shivers and shakes when I think of her words!

[mrs_ray]

Not a chance in Hell. I understand that it's thought to be more hygienic, but you can just as easily keep your baby's weewee clean and tach him how to do so himself when he's too old to be cleaned by you. As for STD's, the child shouldn't be running around having sex to begin with - and when old enough explaining to him that getting certain STD's now could hurt the woman he is to marry someday could very well make an impact on hi choice to wrap it up. I'd like to think that my future son will keep it in his pants until he finds the woman he is to marry (like his daddy did) but I know that sometimes that isn't very realistic, especially in todays world. Educating your child on a real level, not just sex ed classroom talk could be effective - I wish more people would at least give it a try.

Now I'm all off topic.. I am not having my baby's ***** cut. No way, no how, nuh uh, forget it. I lost it when my NIECE got shots when she was a little little.. I could not IMAGINE watching someone cut my baby's sex organ..

Speaking of genital mutilation, there is also a female version of this done in many countries, and I'm pretty sure none of you could ever imagine doing this one to your daughters, and I really don't see how it could be done to someones son either.

But to each their own I suppose.

[twinzplus3]

Um. . .let's not compare female circumcision to male circumcision. They're done for very different reasons and have been historically practiced for very different reasons. It's comparing apples and oranges.

[mothernurture]

My son is 4 years old and intact. I prefer that term to "uncircumcised", because foreskins come standard and a whole penls is natural, normal, just as god/nature designed.

We left Quinn intact even though my husband and older stepson are circumcised. There are so many differences between fathers and their sons...body type, height, weight, facial/body/pubic hair, eye color, hair color, moles/freckles/birthmarks/scars, glasses/no glasses, etc. that are far more obvious than penls style.

I'm willing to bet if we asked our partners to describe the their father's penls they would say that they never really paid much attention, if they saw it it was only for an accidental, uncomfortable spit second and wasn't something they thought much about, let alone spent time obsessively comparing themselves to.

The 'ease of hygiene' thing is a myth. The AAP says, "Your son's intact or uncircumcised penls requires no special care and is easy to keep clean." and warns "Most boys will be able to retract their foreskins by the time they are 5 years old, yet others will not be able to until the teenage years. As a boy becomes more aware of his body, he will most likely discover how to retract his own foreskin. But foreskin retraction should never be forced. Until separation occurs, do not try to pull the foreskin back — especially an infant's. Forcing the foreskin to retract before it is ready may severely harm the penls and cause pain, bleeding and tears in the skin." LINK When they're babies, you just wipe off the outside like you would a finger. When they're older and can retract their own foreskin comfortably (which may not happen until he's a teenager), care is still super quick and easy: Retract, Rinse, Replace! Teaching a child to tie his shoes or brush his teeth is much more challenging,

A lot of people tell nursing home horror stories, but the reality is that over 80% of the men in the world are intact. The rates in the US are decreasing every year and the nationwide average is approaching 50/50. Is peri (genital) care for elderly adults an unpleasant task? I worked as a CNA for many years in nursing home and hospital settings, and it wasn't something I particularly enjoyed but I can tell you this: Both men and women produce smegma. Smegma is actually greek for "soap". Retracting the foreskin to give a quick wipe isn't any more difficult then wiping between a woman's labia, and I've never heard anyone suggest routine removal of a baby's labia to make hygiene easier should they at some point be unable to care for themselves.

Did you know WOMEN have a foreskin? The female prepuce is the clitoral hood. Both the male (foreskin) and female (hood) prepuce protect the glans (tip of the penls/clitoris) and keep the surface slightly moist, thin, and ultra-sensitive. Without it, the mucousal skin is permanently and constantly exposed to air and the abrasion of clothing, and this dries out the sensitive skin and causes it to build up additional layers to protect itself (keratinization).

A really interesting site that explains the similarity of male and female genitals during prenatal development: http://www.sickkids.ca/childphysiolo...evelopment.htm

Originally Posted by Jaxons_mommy

If the daddy is circumsized it is just easier as far as explanation of body parts goes. Most daddy's will 'potty' in front of their boys at one time or another and I just dont know how we would be able to explain to our son that they are different than their daddy without scareing them. Trying to explain that daddy's peepee got the tip cut off just doesnt seem like a nice conversation to have with a kid.

I don't really understand this rationale, maybe because I have an intact little boy who's potty trained and has seen his (circumcised) daddy's penls a few times while he's peeing or getting into/out of the shower and he has never noticed a difference or asked. In fact, just peeing standing up caused him to explain, "Just like Daddy!" If he noticed anything I think it would be that his dad's penls is bigger and harrier,

Also, today we're a lot more open about talking about body parts and sex. Circumcision is a very controversial issue and it's making headlines frequently. Just this month there were three major articles in TIME and TimesOnline:

TIME: The Backlash Against Circumcision
TIME: The Great Uncircumcision Debate
TimesOnline: Cutting Comments: the foreskin debate

Regardless if our boys 'match' their fathers, someday they WILL know what circumcision is and, if they're circumcised, they WILL know what was done to them.

Oh, and about sensitivity...a study came out earlier this year in the British Journal of Urology (BMJ):

CONCLUSIONS
The glans of the circumcised penls is less sensitive to fine touch than the glans of the uncircumcised penls. The transitional region from the external to the internal prepuce is the most sensitive region of the uncircumcised penls and more sensitive than the most sensitive region of the circumcised penls. Circumcision ablates the most sensitive parts of the penls.

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi...X.2006.06685.x

I posted a link to a video that was removed for being inappropriate since it contains footage of a plastibell circumcision procedure. If anyone would like to watch the clip from Birth As We Know It Google: "youtube birth as we know it circumcision". It's less than 5 minutes long and features a plastibell circumcision with commentary by the groundbreaking film's producer Elena Tonetti-Vladimirova.

Jen

The Vulnerability of Men
by Vincent Bach
(Explains why circumcised men so often insist on circumcising their sons.)

[mothernurture]

Originally Posted by twinzplus3

Um. . .let's not compare female circumcision to male circumcision. They're done for very different reasons and have been historically practiced for very different reasons. It's comparing apples and oranges.

http://www.fgmnetwork.org/intro/mgmfgm.html

The only difference is our own cultural conditioning and misconceptions about FGM always being clitoridectomy and infibulation. Sunna circumcision is the most common form of FGM and is the removal of the female prepuce (clitoral hood), which is directly comparable to the routine infant (male) circumcision practiced in the U.S.

Jen

[twinzplus3]

I stand by my original statement. . .they are done for very different reasons and have been historically different. I appreciate your website as it was informative. But I do not think it is fair to tell parents who have had their sons circumcised that they've mutilated their child. As far as how God intended. . .I imagine there are numerous things that we don't do as God intended for us to do; it's unfar to pick just one issue and claim 'godliness.' However, I certainly respect everyone's opinions on this issue.

The entire AAP statement by the way, does note that there are links between lower risk of STD's, UTI's and penile cancer. The policy wasn't even changed until 1989 (before which they recommended routine circumcision). Although they are now saying that the medicial risks of being uncirucmcised are not statistically significant comparitively.

All that to say is that this needs to be a thread where people feel free to discuss ideas on the issue and share information. Thank you for sharing some good links.