Circumcision: A Solution in Search of a Problem
Jul 08 '01
The Bottom Line I am currently writing my own booklet about circumcision so if you have any questions about it e-mail me at Qrtrnotes80634@cs.com.
When my son was born, there was no question that he would be circumcised. After all, all baby boys were and that's just what you had to do right? Well, since he was born at home with a midwife attending, it was more trouble to get him circumcised than to leave him alone (if he were born in a hospital, the staff would likely have asked me while in labor to sign the papers giving them the right to cut my son). So my midwife gave me some books and told me to think about it. I read them and was horrified! After some convincing, my husband agreed to leave him alone and now is just as adamant about not circumcising as I am. Circumcision is a very emotional and controversial issue. It doesn't help that the medical community deceives parents into getting the procedure done. MYTH: Circumcision doesn't hurt anymore than a vaccination and the baby's pain receptors aren't as developed at this age so its better to have it done as a baby. TRUTH: Circumcision is very, very painful particularly because a baby's pain blocking isn't fully developed so they actually feel the pain WORSE than an adult would. MYTH: its just a tiny flap of skin. TRUTH: Circumcision removes a piece of skin that may seem tiny but has many many nerves. This small piece of skin would grow to be almost as large as an index card in adulthood. MYTH: Uncircumcised men and children get more infections. TRUTH: While it is true that more infections have been recorded in uncircumcised children, one needs to look instead at the instruction of care for an uncircumcised son that parents are receiving from their doctor. The AAP recommends not retracting the foreskin to clean underneath (it is attached firmly at birth similar to the way fingernails are attached to the finger.) The foreskin, if left alone, actually protects against infections similar to the way the hymen protects female children from infection. I can attest to the fact that my son's glans (head of the penis) have never been touched by feces because his foreskin is sealed and will not allow such a thing to enter. Many doctors break this seal in the first exam, which is painful for the child and leaves a wound that could become infected and keeps the foreskin from ever doing its job of protecting against infection. So in other words, you have the medical community warning that not being circumcised is a risk of infection when they themselves are the ones causing that infection. MYTH: Christian men have to be circumcised. TRUTH: In the Bible times, circumcision likely only removed the very tip of the foreskin, leaving it unretracted and otherwise intact. Medical circumcision today rips the foreskin from the glans and cuts it completely off, leaving the glans bare. Circumcision is a sign of the old covanent which Christians are no longer bound to since Jesus died on the cross to save them, thus, creating a new covanent. These verses from the Bible seem to point to circumcision as unncessary and, in fact, a sign that someone is trying to get on God's good side through works instead of grace: Acts 15:1-2,7-11 Acts 15:24-25, 28-29 Romans 2:25-3:1 1 Corinthians 7:17-19.
If you decide not to circumcise your son, he can always choose to have it done later with effective and proper anesthesia (anesthesia used for babies often doesn't take away all the pain.) Circumcising him as a baby takes away that choice.
The foreskin plays an important role in sexual intercourse by making sex less abrasive and therefore, almost eliminating the need for personal lubricants.
My recommendation to anyone considering circumcision is to read....read anything you can on the issue. There will be books and articles on both sides of the fence. Don't let the doctor tell you that babies don't feel pain because they most certainly do.
Remember, only 60% of American babies are circumcised today and 80% of the world's men are uncircumcised!
Of course my recommendation is to let your son decide for himself about circumcision. If you feel that you still must circumcise for one reason or another, make sure your son gets either a "ring block" or a "dorsal penile nerve block" for anesthesia. These are the most effective methods available but sometimes they don't block all the pain.
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