You are probably thinking I am going to tell you that circumcision is bad. Mistaken! I am going to tell you why I chose circumcision for my son (based on scientific evidence). The truth is, I am pretty tired of hearing how bad circumcision is. The latest movement of all natural moms (and I consider myself natural) has gone a little too far for me when it comes to this matter. Before I jump into all the why’s, I want to clarify that circumcision and decisions you make for your child, are a personal thing. Nobody should be pressured into doing something, just because somebody said so. I encourage you to do your own research and base your decision accordingly.
The last several years we have seen the rise of a anti-circumcision movement. Living in America, it’s a pretty novice thing considering circumcision has been practiced and encouraged here for decades. Now, if you go to Europe, you will see a completely different story – circumcision, for the most part, is unheard of. Growing up in Europe, I never really knew about this practice until I was 17 (when I became a Christian); I then learned about it from the Bible. So when I was pregnant with my son, I made a conscious decision to circumcise him based on the research I’ve done.
What is circumcision?
Circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin, a small flap of skin that covers the tip of the penis, performed during the first 10 days of life. Some parents circumcise their sons because of their religious beliefs and many do it as a part of a family tradition. And there are some that do it for aesthetic purposes.
Circumcision: What You Are Not Being Told
The Circumcision Decision: An Unbiased Guide for Parents
Hygiene. Keeping the penis clean is much easier with a circumcised penis.
Urinary Tract Infections. Studies found that circumcised infants are less likely to contract a urinary tract infection (UTI) in the first year of life. About one out of every 1,000 circumcised boys has a UTI in the first year, whereas the rate is one in 100 for uncircumcised infants. (study)
Circumcision Changes the Penis Bacteria Ecosystem, which leads to lower HIV risks. A 2005 study of South African men found that circumcised men who had sex with an HIV-positive woman were 63 percent less likely than uncircumcised men to contract the virus. circumcision removes what are called Langerhans cells in the foreskin, which are more susceptible to HIV infection. (study)
Reduced Risk of STDs. This is one of the main arguments for circumcision which does have strong scientific backup. The study performed at George Washington University found that circumcision prevents men from the worst cases of STD’s. This happened because the surgery alters the living conditions of microorganisms living on the penis. (study)
Reduced Risk of Prostate Cancers. Circumcision before first sexual intercourse is associated with a reduction in the relative risk of prostate cancer (study)
Reduced Risk of HPV and Cervical Cancer in Women. Circumcised men have a lower risk of contracting the human papilloma virus. The reason HPV is more prevalent in uncircumcised men is that the area under the foreskin provides warm, moist conditions which are ideal for the growth of bacteria and the build-up of dead skin cells. Thus, during intercourse, when the mucosal surface area is exposed, it allows the transmission of HPV and other viruses.
Circumcised men appear to have the same degree of penis sensitivity as men who are uncircumcised. A team of researchers evaluated the penile sensitivity among 43 uncircumcised men and 36 circumcised men through a variety of methods. The investigators found no statistically significant differences in sensitivity between the two groups of men, regardless of whether they had erectile dysfunction. (source)
I encourage anyone on the fence or against circumcision to at least do a little bit of research. There are a lot of opinions without any medical backing. Of course it is your decision and by no means am I trying to start a debate; but as a mom, I just wanted to give you a few reasons that led me to my decision.
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I find it interesting that you failed to mention the functions of the foreskin,the complications from circumcision, both short term and long term,and the excruciating pain it causes. Clearly you were only interested in “evidence”that supported a decision you already made but wanted justification.
I also find it interesting that you call yourself natural, yet failed to keep your song as nature intended……
I hope you’ll soon publish an article with the pros and cons of neonatal labiaplasty. There are many myths floating around and parents deserve to have all the information so that they can make the best decision on behalf of their daughters.
The problem with all the studies that you read and posted here is the science. Instead of looking at the published summaries you always need to get back to the original experiments. You then can see the OBVIOUS design flaws and you can see the conflict of interest about who funded the studies. I feel sad for you and your child that you were swayed by the greedy American medical industry.
Tradition, religion and aesthetic reasons are definitely not acceptable excuses for putting your baby through such an unnecessary trauma. Open your minds my fellow Americans, strapping down your brand new healthy baby to have their genitals cut apart while they are awake is never a good idea for any reason. Read it slowly, it is not right.
Amazing how most boys and men on Earth have an intact penis, and they still live to be a good age. The argument above was also used about female genital cutting, until it was made illegal only 20 years ago. Male circumcision was invented to humiliate, to mark as owned by another, to diminish sexual pleasure, and it always was. My penis was damaged by a doctor, now I don’t orgasm. And my urethra was ulcerated and narrowed.
As a Humanist, I believe that all persons have a right to an intact body, regardless of their age or gender.
When you became a Christian and read the Bible, did you skip the parts where circumcision wasrecalled, if you will, expecially the part where Jesus said “This is My blood of the New Covenant, shed for you” en lieu of the blood offering (and not full off as practiced today) of Abraham? Just curious. Perhaps you read a different Bible.