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minority need (Reply to this comment)
by donthurtme
A minority of baby boys need a corcumcision due to medical reasons. Anything else is now being frowned on, and lately a lot of 18 year-olds are suing doctors -- and even parents -- when there was no documented need for the surgery. But that's not the reason to NOT do it...This IS a reason to not do it... http://www.intact.ca/video.html --
Watch a baby boy being circumcised and then ask yourself, "Do I want to do THAT to my sweet little one?!" :{
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Aug 11 '06
5:07 pm PDT
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Re: Re: YOUR choice huh? (Reply to this comment)
by mcferguson
That's great you didn't have your second son cut. But MY point is it SHOULD be the choice of the person being cut. It SHOULD NOT be anyone else's 'choice'.
Imagine if some lunatic doctor advocated cutting off little girl's breasts so they wouldn't get breast cancer. And their bodies would be cleaner for they wouldn't have to clean their breasts. Oh, and they could make beauty care products out of the breasts. It would still be the PARENT'S CHOICE to have the breasts removed.
I know that may sound extreme to some, but it's the issue of 'choice'. Healthy human bodies should be respected and left alone. Period.
(p.s.- healthy human male bodies have foreskins, ask the rest of the world)
Doing this barbaric procedure to a baby is simply wrong. Even if it's done well by an expert. Goody for them. It's still wrong.
So, give the choice back to the individual. Give them their body back. Respect them. Leave them intact. Stop circumcising babies.
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Jan 21 '04
8:55 am PST
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Re: YOUR choice huh? (Reply to this comment)
by melissasrn
Umm........if you were to actually read the ending of my editorial, you will notice that I did not choose to circumcise my youngest son.
And yes, at the moment, it IS the choice of the parents. So sorry your parents made the wrong choice in your eyes.
Melissa
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Jan 17 '04
7:53 pm PST
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YOUR choice huh? (Reply to this comment)
by mcferguson
Shouldn't the person whose body is being altered be the one that makes the choice?
We're not talking about infant heart surgery or something. It's not a necessary procedure. There is NO benefit. It is nonsense.
The little boys have no choice. And it is their body, NOT YOURS. It is THEIR choice, and you take it away from them.
I had my foreskin taken away because the hospitals are greedy, and my parents were ignorant. It is MY body, it should have been MY choice. What the hell do you think is so great about having a normal, healthy, useful, fun part of your body sliced off?
America needs to wake up.
www.norm.org
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Jan 16 '04
11:09 am PST
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Re: Nice job!!! But there's a little more to it. (Reply to this comment)
by daffyduch
About your comment about the baby born as he is, and should not have the foreskin cut off, although God made boys like that, he did command Abraham to have a bris (circumcision) when he was already a very old man and then commanded that every Jewish baby boy when he is 8 days old (or more, if he is jaundiced).
Although this only applies to Jews, there is nothing wrong with it and everyone has their own opinion on it.
Only qualified people should do the circumcision, so with these horror stories you talk about, it is obvious that the circumcision should not have been attempted by this particular person.
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Jan 13 '02
8:19 pm PST
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awesome review! (Reply to this comment)
by sonyab
i am enjoying reading your reviews.. :) i like this review alot.. you shared with us reasons to do it and not to do it.. :) most recommend from me!! :) nice meeting you.. ill be reading more of your work.. glad your here :)
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Aug 25 '01
11:53 am PDT
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excellent review! (Reply to this comment)
by jankp
You certainly presented a more balanced opinion than my own review, but I couldn't see any reasons for doing it except cosmetic purpose.
Jan
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Aug 12 '01
8:53 pm PDT
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Nice job!!! But there's a little more to it. (Reply to this comment)
by sounddude
I think Melissa's opinion is a very well written and thought out presentation of a subject that really should not be controversial any longer.
As she stated, there is a mountain of research out there that reveals routine male infant circumcision is not necessary in today's modern society, except of some religious reasons which I have issues with but will not address.
The research shows that there is such an extremely low increase of risk of cervical cancer with uncircumcised men that it falls into the realm of the plus or minus error that always surrounds research.
Be that as it may, there is also research out now that the very secretions that exist under the foreskin that at onetime were thought to be the so-called cause of hygiene problems have now been shown to actually be of health benefits to the glans of the penis; a total reverse to what had been thought for the last 50 years, the general reign of the routine cutting procedure.
But my main point is that it is NO ONE'S right to have a person's foreskin cut off except for THAT person. I do not believe that parents of a child have ANY right to have a routine circumcision done to their male infant today. Melissa wouldn't mention the horror stories but I have seen the pictures and if you want to see them yourself, just run a Google word search on circumcision and you will find them online. I grew up in a medical home and in 1951, no one questioned the doctors or procedures. I wish they had.
The pictures of these poor babies being butchered is bad enough, but there is a high rate of injury to these children because the foreskin is NOT MADE TO BE REMOVED AT BIRTH! It is an integrated part of the glans and it must be ripped away from the tissue, leaving the glans a bloody pulp. And many, MANY penises are terribly cut, disfigured, and severed in the process. Some to the point where the penis has to be removed totally and the male baby must grow up neutered. Why? Just so he will look like daddy? Since when in our society do daddy and son parade around together in the nude? And 30 years ago in the high school locker room, we didn't care what the other guy looked like. It just didn't matter. It matter's even less today.
Even though Melissa said that a man's foreskin is not ready to be separated from the glans until he is five or six, the more correct figure is around 12 years of age, during puberty, when the penis starts to develop. A simple lesson of hygiene to a young man will take care of any potential health risks.
And there is great evidence that the uncut organ is actually more sensitive sexually to the man, and more attractive to his female partner (many european women who take far western partners comment on the fact that they actually prefer an uncircumcised man). But here we can get off the point and into graphic opinion which I will not do.
Bottom line for all parents should be this, the procedure is not necessary, it is painful to the baby, potentially very dangerous to the health and functionality of your son's penis, and it really should not be any body's choice but the man when he becomes an adult. We are at about 50% today in surgeries at birth, I hope one day soon, with education through non-aggressive, informative and factual writings like Melissa's, we can bring that rate down to near zero.
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Jul 20 '01
10:35 pm PDT
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Excellent review (Reply to this comment)
by scottcolson
I know this is a decision many parents agonize with. You have done a wonderful job presenting both sides of the story.
Thanks for sharing.
Scott (M.D.)
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Jul 17 '01
8:17 pm PDT
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You must find the video! (Reply to this comment)
by k1j2g3
I was in a Bradley birthing class, and my instructor had both a video of a circumcision and a bris.
I highly recommend that all parents who are considering a circumcision watch an actual procedure before they decide what they will have done to their child.
We chose not to have our son circumcised, but if we had, both my husband and I agreed, that, although we aren't Jewish, we would have had a Mohel perform it. The process was much less traumatic for the infant and happened much more quickly.
I think the argument that many fathers have is that "I am circumcised, therefore my child should be." I think that is a pathetic reason to put any newborn through such a painful and traumatic experience.
See a video, and you will definitely keep your child intact!
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Jun 28 '01
1:03 pm PDT
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Thank you! (Reply to this comment)
by tamik98
It is so refreshing to see an informed, factual Epinion on this matter!
Very nicely done!
Tammy
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Jun 10 '01
8:33 am PDT
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VH (Reply to this comment)
by mellkinwa
This was a great article. Very nicely done with both views mentioned.
I plan on directing a friend to this article as she is expecting a boy later this year, and is wondering about this procedure.
Melissa (mellkinwa)
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Jun 03 '01
10:21 am PDT
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:) (Reply to this comment)
by disartain
i REALLY LIKED THE FACT THAT YOU GAVE BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY, i AM NOT SHOUTING, MY DARN KEYBOARD IS STUCK IN CAPS LOCK.
DIANE
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Jun 02 '01
2:59 am PDT
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Beautifully Done (Reply to this comment)
by AliventiAsylum
Informative without being judgemental. I wish we could rate it higher. This has to be one of the most perfect epinions I've ever read.
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Jun 01 '01
6:18 pm PDT
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nice job! (Reply to this comment)
by amknight
I, too, have noticed the plethora of essays on this topic over the past days. Most had titles that even demonstrated the fact that the essays were very one-sided, so I avoided those. Yours, however, was excellent and well-informed.
I must say, though, that I am thankful for my two daughters who never made us face this difficult decision!
-Angie
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Jun 01 '01
6:54 am PDT
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Thank You. (Reply to this comment)
by Ellie41799
What a wonderfully written epinion on the touchy subject. You presented both sides fairly.
Keep up the excellent writing!
Ellie
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Jun 01 '01
4:14 am PDT
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This makes me sad (Reply to this comment)
by sslabs
You know we used to stone people, and hang people in public. We used to throw people to the lions to. And some folks just believe in their faith so much that they are blind to the truth. The procedure is not needed.
I wonder what the parents would think of me tying them down and cutting a part of them off without anything to kill the pain. If they chose not to do the procedure and waited until the boy was 16 or 18 and asked him if he wanted it done, what do you think he would say?
It's so ironic that many parents with bumper stickers that say "I'm a child not a choice" do this to their sons. I wonder why they won't give their son the opportunity (later in life) to make the choice? My guess is that at some point in the future the whole deal will be abandoned.
So is it really the parents choice? When it comes to changing the childs appearance for no medical reason I think the person being modified should make the choice, and if that person is too young to make the choice, they should be given the opportunity to make the choice later in life.
-Tony-
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May 31 '01
9:58 pm PDT
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Great job! (Reply to this comment)
by CindyJean
I would have to say that this is by far the best, most even-sided editorial on the circumcision debate that I have ever read!
Congrats on the great review!
Sincerely,
CindyJean
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May 31 '01
8:42 pm PDT
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Very nicely done... (Reply to this comment)
by Mom2TyZick
you presented the material in an unbiased way though we clearly know your stance. Very researched and thorough review, and though I'm a parent who chose to have the procedure for my son, I don't feel attacked. Thanks for such a professional job, as always! Suzanne
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May 31 '01
5:30 pm PDT
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Interesting essay (Reply to this comment)
by bonniesayers
Both my boys have had circumcisions, done by Pediatricians. In NJ it was done in Hospital, the Father stood outside the window and in CA it was done in Ped's office within 2 weeks and father held binkie in mouth while me and other son were in another waiting room.
My first husband was Jewish and he went to the Bris for his nephews, since I was not of the same faith I was not allowed or invited.
I know the one in CA was with no anesthesia, not sure about NJ. I had to sign a consent for both though.
Bonnie
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May 31 '01
4:09 pm PDT
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Re: Thanks... (Reply to this comment)
by jo.com
theeye explained it much better than I could. You did a super job on this one. thanks. jo
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May 31 '01
3:37 pm PDT
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Thank you (Reply to this comment)
by bootsers
for a very informative review on a very controversial topic. Sometimes we just have to learn to agree to disagree.
vik
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May 31 '01
3:02 pm PDT
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Thanks... (Reply to this comment)
by theeye
for a fair, balanced approach to a touchy subject.
To answer your question: Jewish boys are circumcised on the morning of the eighth day of life (counted according to the Jewish reckoning in which the day begins at sunset: thus a boy born on Tues morning has his bris the following Tues morning, while a boy born after sunset on Tues evening has his bris the following Wed. morning). A bris can be delayed only if the health of the child requires it.
The ritual circumcision is performed by a specially trained person, called a "mohel" or "moyl". The actual cutting part of the ceremony takes less than a minute (the rest of the ceremony consists of special prayers and often a speech or two). Mohels train as apprentices with older mohels and often perform several brisim (plural of "bris") a day: they tend to be far more experienced and skilled at this particular procedure than most doctors.
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May 31 '01
2:43 pm PDT
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Thank you... (Reply to this comment)
by karmiausnic
I wanted to tell you how I appreciate that you not only gave your views, but explained both sides of this issue. Like so many things in our lives, what we think is right is not what the next person does. I'm just glad to see that you have presented informative reasons as pros and cons that could actually help someone make a decision..
Fantastic writing!
Take care,
Karen
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May 31 '01
2:09 pm PDT
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