Circumcision Decision, Opinions and Info Wanted

I went through something similar with my DH and he said pretty much the same thing as yours did (look the same etc). I made him ask our OB about it and she said that the one DR in Darwin who would do it would only do it once DS was 6 months old and if we could give 10 informed reasons as to why. She pointed out that the foreskin is like the vulva on a girls genitals. It is a natural form protection and that the argument that it is cleaner is out dated (personally I think if a man is having problems with it because it's not clean then he has a hygiene problem).

In the end I told DH that if our DS ever questioned why his was different to dads then he could just explain that everyone is different down there. I say and its just my personal opinion, it is natural, so leave it alone unless there is a problem with it. Circumcising on the off chance something might happen in the future is not a valid reason.

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Why are you making subjective opinions in your position as mod?? I have a number of Muslim and Jewish friends who would be very insulted to hear that circumcision is PURELY COSMETIC.

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I think Schmickers was just pointing out that there are still doctors out there who do it just for cosmetic reasons, not for only religious/medical reasons.

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...the one DR in Darwin who would do it would only do it once DS was 6 months old and if we could give 10 informed reasons as to why.

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That would have made my blood boil. Where is the concept of personal choice there? The choices we make for our children are not the equivalent of a school exam. Any choice made about the medical side of our children's future are not taken lightly, and they are always layered with social, emotional and family context.
I would understand doctors wanting to make sure parents are educated, informed and aware of the risks. But beyond that, I would find that extremely condescending.

Mrsmac, I agree with Skye, I think Schmickers was just pointing out that there are some people who have their boys circ'd for cosmetic reasons. Clearly not all people do.

I'm sorry MrsMac, but you may have misread what I wrote.

I wrote that "there are some surgeons in Australia who offer the procedure to parents for purely cosmetic reasons".

I was not discussing Rabbi-performed circumcisions, or circumcision for the islamic faith. These are, as you point out, performed due to religious justificiations. This thread, however, was posted to discuss routine circumcision for cosmetic reasons, not for religious reasons.

If you would like to discuss circumcision in light of religious motivations, perhaps you might like to post a thread in the appropriate Religion and Spirituality forum.

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Why are you making subjective opinions in your position as mod?? I have a number of Muslim and Jewish friends who would be very insulted to hear that circumcision is PURELY COSMETIC.

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I just want to say that we decided to have our DS circ'd. He was 5 weeks old and didn't have any problems with the proceedure. The DR was fantastic and I have to say that I was a bit unsure at 1st too. My DH is circ'd and he wanted his son to be aswell. I researched and spoke to as many people I could about it.

I also knew my nephew wasn't done as a newborn and the poor kid had to be done when he was 6 years old due the the foreskin not being able to retract and how painful this was for him.He is now 16 and his penis is deformed and he now has some issues with why his parents never had him done as a baby. My brother and his wife tried to book him in when he was born but they couldn't find a DR.
My Besties partner had to be done when he was 25 for medical reasons too.

As for the comments about your son being the odd 1 out in the change rooms at sport/school etc,Don't believe it. You would really be suprised at how many boys are still being circ'd. Just go to a private hospital on the day of opereation and see just how many people are there with their bubs......

Anyway good luck with your decision,whatever that may be :D

It has to be remembered that just because we moderate it does not make us devoid of opinion - sometimes that opinion will not be the same as yours!

I agree - with the poster with regard to female circumcision. The world is mortified at the routine circumcision of females in some countries - yet we expect it to be "right" to do this to our sons... mmmm does that make sense???
Some men see their circumcised penis's as being mutilated - some men have felt that it was a decision that should not have been made for them.

This is a religious concern for some - I understand that.

Making a decision to remove your sons foreskin so "he looks the same" as his Dad - well he isn't really going to look the same for a very long time! - I don't think that will really be a big one for a boy... My own son has commented on a boy that he knows that has been circumcised when they were both changing for swimming - he asked him what happened to his penis? I had to explain - . So it will "cut" both ways (excuse the pun!:D) my DS was mortified (it was prior to his accidental exposure to 60 MINS). I think overwhelmingly parents are not choosing to circumcise and so it is the circumcised penis that is socially "different" these days...

I don't think routine circumcision should be performed for purely cosmetic/social reasons and that is my personal opinion. It is not painless - and it does have risks - risks that are real. I am quite in love with my labia and had it been the social norm in Australia in the late sixties to remove them from girl children I would be feeling mutilated. I think it's important to think about it without the "social acceptance" attatched to it...

I want to say I am proud of you all for being able to discuss this very HOT topic without it getting nasty... :hug:

I would like it to be heard that the original poster asked for opinions and stated that there were no religious or cultural arguments that would weigh into her/her partners decision.

This taken out of the equation circumcision under these circumstances is for cosmetic reasons. That is the correct terminology.

This particular discussion is not about religious reasons as the original poster has already stated that.

I realise this is a tought subject & we all have strong opinions, so I figure I will add our experience to the mix.
My DH wanted it done, again to "look like dad", I myself think (IMO) that's such a silly thing to say, no penis is ever going to be the same regardless & they will not only see Dad's will they. I figured we would still have to explain either way...so that wasn't good enough reason for me. Must admitt I read a comment in an earlier post in regards to "a vagina not being like mum's"....what a great comment I had never thought of that - can't say I've ever seen mums, & never would want to LOL!! but I never questioned it.

In the end I read all the information & it is a hard decision, each side so to speak has come up with all their reasons & information for and against & it's almost like a competition...you can find sense in both sides of the argument & it often leaves you confused as to what to do.

I decided (many may nott agree with this either, but here you go), if it's that hard to find a doctor or medical proffessional to do something then why do it. In the end that was our decider, we would have to ring around, etc, etc & it just seemed a little pointless. My Doc throughout pregnancy & birth was fantastic, but he would have no part in that & I suppose you have to ask yourself why wont most doctors do it??? but that's just what we decided. It still worries me now & I will prob never forgive myself if something happens & he has to go through the pain of getting it done later in life...but with proper care we hope that issue never arises.

I wish you all the best with your decision, it's only one you two can make & either way I'm sure you will find a decision that is right for you.

You raise a good point Erin... As a young nurse I assisted in circumcision - and far from being painless I found it barbaric (MY OWN OPINION & OBSERVATION). I think this is one of the reasons why it's hard to find someone to do them. AND because it is now widely accepted that it is not medically necessary - and in fact holds risks.

Yes, your son may have an issue when he gets older - but we don't remove other body parts "in case" they cause a problem. For example many people get tonsillitis or appendicitis or ingrown toe nails. We don't remove them in case - we wait and if its a problem we deal with it then...