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I don't wish to stir up a lot of controversy but rather to get info and opinion on circumcision. My friend just had a baby and wasn't sure whether to have this procedure performed. She's asking male friends their view.
She doesn't nor do I like the idea of inflicting pain on a child. I've read this operation takes 10-20 minutes and is hard on the infant. However, I've also read that an intact foreskin is hard to clean for a child, there can be cheesy discharge that hardens under the head and that the foreskin can crack or tighten as an adult needing the procedure. I don't know if any of this talk of preventing STDs, AIDS or cancer is true either.
I'm just hoping I can go back to my friend with a better idea of what I feel about it after hearing from people hear especially parents who did and didn't have it done and whether they would do it again based on what their experience was. (link)
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There is absolutely no medical reason to perform a circumcision on a healthy newborn with a normally formed penis. There are rare circumstances where it is medically necessary, but you would have been told about it if it was.
Yes, some extra steps need to be taken to keep the area under the foreskin clean, but it really is very simple to do. There can be a discharge, but this is avoidable if the area is kept clean. It is possible for an adult to develop a condition which will necessitate circumcision later in life, but this is rare. In the end, circumcision on an infant is performed overwhelmingly for religious reasons, and any medical reasons for it which are trotted out are very weak arguments indeed, used only by the people doing it for religious reasons so that they can justify it. The bottom line is that it's cosmetic surgery done without the infant's consent.
My son is uncircumcised. He is now two years old and has no problems whatsoever with hygiene or anything else. He's never had an infection in or around the penis. If he decides to get circumcised when he becomes an adult, that will be his choice.
I, on the other hand, am circumcised, and I would rather I hadn't been. I'm reasonably sure that it was painful at the time, though of course I have no memory of it.
It boils down to this: before undergoing surgery or having it done on someone in your care, the question one should ask is, "Why is it necessary?" In my opinion, and that of the majority of doctors not blinded by their own religion, the available reasons for routine infant circumcision don't come close to justifying it.
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Rating: 4
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Thanks! I agree with what you are saying. I personally don't like the idea of circumcision and plan to tell her why and show her different responses. Ultimately it's their choice but they should be a little more informed now.
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