|
|
I Just Couldn't CUT My SonMar 01 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Building Supplies
The Bottom Line SO much went into our decision to leave our son's foreskin intact...it is ALWAYS a decision which must be made with the child's best interests in mind.
I am not writing this as a medical authority or as a religious authority. I merely want to talk about how my husband and I arrived at our decision to NOT circumcise our son and all the CRAP we have taken in regards to that decision. It is not my intention to try to sway anyone else, either. However, I have had to justify my opinion over and over and over again to well-meaning friends and family. This is MY way of making a final statement about the issue. My son was born five weeks prematurely just a little over a year ago. I had done everything "right", according to all the doctors and books...sometimes babies just arrive early. My son's one minute APGAR was eight, his five minute APGAR was four. Sufficed to say, he was in trouble. Fortunately, a wonderful neonatalogist was on-call that day and was able to save my son's life. After twelve roller-coaster days, my son was finally off all the tubes and monitors and ready to be bundled up for home. About an hour before he was to be discharged, the nurse came to ask me about a circumcision. Now, my husband and I had been arguing about this issue from the moment we found out we were pregnant. I was adamantly opposed, my husband was adamantly for it. However, when the moment of truth came, we reached a unanimous decision...there was NO WAY we were going to put our son through another moment of pain. I have tried to make people understand this decision. I have quoted Dr. Dean Adel (who strongly opposes the procedure and has even discussed foreskin-replacements). I have quoted the New Testament, which says that circumcision does not matter as long as the Ten Commandments are followed. I have quoted medical research, which states that there is NO concrete evidence that an uncircumcised man will have anymore problems than a circumcised man. I have still received criticism from EVERYONE (except the neonatalogist...who felt the procedure was entirely unnecessary). I had my reasons for opposing the procedure from the get-go. I felt that circumcision was a form of mutilation. But this had NOTHING to do with my husband's and my decision in the end. In the end, we just could not put our son through anymore pain. I pray that no one reading this will ever have to experience the hell we went through after our son was born. He had tubes down his throat, both in his lungs and his stomach. He had I.V.s inserted in both arms and even his HEAD, when no other major vessels were available. He has blood taken several times each day (his poor feet were one big scab). He had his hands TIED DOWN to keep him from pulling off any monitors. I can't even BEGIN to describe how it FELT to see my child like this. THAT is why we could not allow our son to be circumcised. The thought of putting that child through ONE MORE MOMENT of pain was unbearable for either of us. I do not regret this decision for a moment. My mother feels he will be "laughed at" by other boys (just WHEN will other boys be looking at my son's penis?). My grandmother says my son will give his future bride "diseases"...trying to explain to her how simple it is to pull back the foreskin when cleaning the penis is an act of futility. My only advice is to do whatever YOU feel is best for your child, after discussing it with your pediatrician. I realize for some, it is a religious tradition. I can respect that. For others, it is a matter of "hygiene". I don't agree with that, but I can respect that. All I ask is that those of us who chose NOT to circumcise our sons receive the SAME respect given to those who do.  |
| Read all comments (6)|Write your own comment |
|
Ads by Google
|
