Parents of guyQ: If you've had/will have a son, have/will you have him circumcised?

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No way I'm letting anybody cut bits off my infant's penis. That's a fine welcome to the world: "hello, we love you, and now we're going to take a scalpel to your genitals." Happily for me, my religion doesn't require it, and it's not all that common where I live because there's no good reason to be circumcised as an infant.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201109/more-circumcision-myths-you-may-believe-hygiene-and-stds

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Barbaric A ridiculous practice with no bearing on health or sanitation. About as horrible as female genital mutilation being practiced in backward nations of the world.

This is a perfect example of people resisting facts to do not what is best but what everyone else does. Same with engagement rings... we know they're neither rare nor precious... yet.... a girl has to have one and men traipse off to buy them. Lemmings.

My husband is, and felt our sons should be, so they are. If left to my own devices, I might have decided differently, but since my spouse actually has a penis, I let him make the call. Most of my friends have let their husbands make the call too--and they all seem to have what daddy has--regardless of what that is.

Didn't have it done to our little dude for the simple facts that we had no compelling reason to, and it seemed like a painful thing to deal with for him and a PITA for me to. So the list of negatives quickly outweighed the positive.

So far so good on the "keeping things clean" front. We haven't had any issues. As far as aesthetics goes and him possibly "feeling different," he is in a demographic where the circumcision rate is around half, so that is not an issue. He's like half the other kids his age.

Basically, we just had no reason to do it.

Doctors in the UK usually counsel against infant circumcision. I wouldn't choose it for my son.

Nope, not unless there's a medical reason for him to have one.

I'd pay a year's salary rather than be circumcised, and I'd do the same for my son. Why would I want the most sensitive and pleasurable parts cut off? That little bit of skin makes a big difference.

Why don't we just let everyone decide for themselves whether or not they want irreversible genital surgery? It's their body after all.

It's not like it can't wait. The USA (at 55% and dropping) and Israel are the only two countries in the world where more than half of baby boys are circumcised. Other countries circumcise, but not till anywhere from the age of seven to adolescence. Only about 10% of the world's circumcised men were circumcised as babies. 70% of the world's men (88% of the world's non-Muslim men) never get circumcised.

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I will say, I'm surprised by the STRONG takes this question produced. Like, really people, it's ok. If you feel there's no compelling reason to do it, that's great and your kid's dong will function just fine the way it was designed. If you decide you want to do it, the kid's kibbles 'n bits will heal in like a day, and he MAY enjoy some marginal health benefits.

Either way, it doesn't really matter that much. Comparing it to genital mutilation makes you sound like the anti-vaxx people.

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Hell no! It's elective cosmetic surgery at best and genital mutialtion at worst. I've been intimate with both so I know sexually what circumcised men are missing and how much better intact sex is for both partners. I've also worked in child care and intact care for a boy is so much easier

I have a daughter, but I always planned to circumsize sons if I had any.

Unlike Cassandra, I've had negative experiences caring for a child who still had his foreskin, and unfortunately, he was a preteen at the time. His foreskin would often get stuck in the partially retracted position and cause him pain. As he tried to get it unstuck, his penis would naturally swell, and he would have to endure searing pain until the swelling subsided. This resulted in a couple of trips to the emergency room with his dad, but the night we were the only ones home was the worst. After his foreskin became stuck in the shower, he tried in vain to relax, but it kept getting worse. The look on his face after having to call his nanny to help him, tears rolling down his face, bright red out of pain and embarrAskMent (it took him a week to look me in the eye again) has stuck with me for over a decade.

Now, don't get me wrong; I don't think most boys experience that. But watching him go through it, it's just not worth it to me.

Is it painful? Yes. So are braces. If people take the position that children get to opt in or out for *anything* that might cause pain, I can't fault them.

For me, a few moments of certain pain seem worth the tiny potential of future agony.

Nope. Not my choice, its his.

We here are about the only country in the world that practices this, and there is no reason for it beyond the multi million dollar industry that it represents.

I've read a study that indicates that when done, the pain is so intense (even with anesthetic) that it actually alters the brain function of the child, sometimes permanently.

Not sure how, with the doting parents that we have today, that won't even choose formula without in-depth study, will be so naive as to perform this function on their child.

There is no valid reason to do so, and every reason not to.

I already have two sons, both Intact. I will never will let anyone put a knife to their d***s. N-E-V-E-R. Why would I let someone ruin them like was done to me?

All of Europe is Intact. All of Central and South America are intact. Hell, the RUSSIANS are intact. So are the Chinese.

Men who have been mutilated are in denial, and have the biggest hurdle to surmount. To face what happened to us is tough. It almost destroyed me.

But my sons, they are intact and Ok (huge smile of pride).

Yanno what, folks? Forget all the data, all the arguments, all the bickering.

The only truism is that the only one that has the right to make that determination is the owner of the equipment as there is no solid proof of necessity, which makes it a cosmetic procedure, and out of the hands of the parents. It really does boil down to a human rights issue.

My body, my choice. We've already learned that lesson in this country.

Never, ever, ever.

No way in hell!
We don't mutilate children in my country. It's barbaric and unessecary.

And as a woman I must say that circumcised penis looks terrible.

Absolutely not. The supposed benefits are not backed by solid science, can be much more effectively dealt with through condoms or medicine, and industrialized countries that do not circumcise have perfectly healthy intact men. It's highly unethical to amputate a body part without immediate medical necessity without consent. If females had their clitoral hoods removed in a sterile medical environment in order to prevent UTIs or yeast infections, would we feel the same way? How about if female babies had their breast buds removed to prevent future risk of breast cancer, which touches 1 out of every 12 women? Completely barbaric and circumcision is in the same category.

Never. I have 2 boys and the idea of letting someone (who is making money off of the surgery) cut away at their genitals without their consent, without medical need, and without any form of pain management absolutely sickens me. It does NOT heal in a day, it is NOT painless for an infant, and it is RARELY a medical necessity.

As parents, we are meant to protect our children. Not subject them to needless, painful surgeries or procedures. I respect my sons and their bodies. They belong to them and unless there is a real medical need to alter them, they are not mine to change.

I am from the UK and have two intact sons born in the US. My husband is American and circumcised. I had no idea that Americans inflicted this barbaric procedure on their sons as a matter of routine until I arrived in the US a decade ago. Until then I had thought circumcision was confined to Jews and Muslims. I am appalled and sickened by the refusal of the US medical profession to own up to the clear breach of medical ethics that routine infant circumcision involves and their dismissal of the very real risks and harms. They actually promote it - and in that they stand completely alone in the developed world. I am sorry that Ian Lang does not realize how hoodwinked he is if he thinks he is somehow better off. If he cared to read the positions of other medical professions in the developed world he would realize that everyone else has washed their hands of this pernicious practice on the grounds that it is it medically unnecessary, harmful and unethical. This is a poorly researched article by a circumcised American male who doesn't want to delve too deep in case he uncovers the truth. Thankfully my husband was more enlightened and had found out the ugly truth before I met him. There was never a chance in hell we would have done this to our sons - yet the hospital scheduled our first son for the procedure without asking us - such is the cutting madness in the US. We found out in time and saved our son from the cutting board. Only in America is it deemed reasonable to assume that parents want their son strapped to a circumstraint, usually without any anesthetic and always without adequate anesthetic and have a healthy, functional, erogenous body part amputated. Sickening.

Had girl. Didn't cut. Had boy. Guess. No human being should have the best bits of their sexuality amputated. No goddamnedway.

No, with a further tesoinding "**** no, what is wrong with you???"
Cosmetic surgery to forever alter the sexual function of my son? Really? No.

How did someone so uninformed about the natural penis come to write an article about it? He can't see past the end of his own cut dick. My son is whole.

MGM of a none consenting minor is sexual assault.

The head of the penis is designed to be a mostly internal organ... only being exposed during periods of sexual arousal. If you circumcise your son you are effectively putting your child through a painful surgery to make his penis look permanently sexually stimulated.

Americans are so strange.

Heck no. The foreskin is the best part.

Absolutely not. There is no honest counting of botches and fatalities. There are no credible studies of the possible correlation between circ status and sexual dysfunction. There are no credible studies of the views of women who've been in long term relationships with both kinds of men. Hence we have no idea if routine circumcision is "safe".

Baby wah wah
Doc: Excuse me but may I have a word?
Baby: Sure, what can I do for you?
Doc: I'm about to perform a procedure and wanted to notify you.
Baby: A procedure, you say?
Doc: Yes, a simple thing really. Slight pain, very quick.
Baby: Necessary it is?
Doc: Not really. Cosmetic mostly. And habit.:
Baby:: Cosmetic? My nose is too big?
Doc: No, no. Your penis. I want to clip the end.
Baby: ???
Doc: It's fairly painless. I guess. And it would look nicer.
Baby:???
Doc: And uh... it'll help yours look like Daddy's
Baby:???
Doc: It'll reduce...well, not a lot but somewhat some diseases,, we think.
Baby: ???
Doc: Only take a moment of your time.
Baby: Could I speak to my mother, please?
Mom: Hello darling, what can mommy do for you?
Baby: Get me outta here.
Mom: But darling, the procedure.
Baby: GET ME THE FREAK OUT OF HERE NOW!!!
Mom: It's just a tiny little clip....
Baby: DADDDDD!!!!! HELP ME!!!!!
Dad: It's just a little snip, snip.
Baby: WAH WAH WAH!!!:

Seems like AM very recently received a slew of new subscribers. I'd wager the cult of intactivists was called upon by someone trolling the boards. lol. Good grief.

I had my sons circumcised just because it was the thing to do. If I had to do it over again, I don't think I would. My first son was clearly traumatized by it. For about 3 days afterwards, he cringed when anyone touched him and did not even want to be held. Then he got an infection, which was quickly cleared up. My second son barely seemed to notice when he got circumcised.

I see no good reason for this procedure. I think most people do it for the same reason I did...its customary and there is often bias against the appearance of a foreskin.

I don't have strong feelings either way, but lets be real: men who have circumcisions are neither mutilated nor psychologically scarred after doing so.

Female circumcision directly impacts a woman's health and there are studies to prove this. It is rooted in gender inequality.

I think divisiveness on this topic has more to do with self-image: neither camp wants to think that their junk is in any way inferior to the others, and both camps are right.

No. For the same reasons I would not have my daughter circumcised. I don't care how much "research" you have; if "research" could never justify doing it to my daughter, it could never justify doing it to my son.

No. I would never circumcise my sons for the same reasons I would not circumcise my daughters. I don't care how much "research" you show me, if there could never be enough "research" to circumcise my daughters, the same is true for my sons.

Judging by this thread (and all the people that have never been on this site who are posting in it) what GuyQ needs to do if they want to get their numbers up is continue to start threads about things relating to choices people make when they have babies... It is fertile grounds for endless debate: natural birth versus c section, epidural or no drugs, breast milk v. formula, to vaccinate or not, SAHM v. working mom, attachment parenting, homeschooling.. organic v. non-organic, single moms...

Absolutely not. He's the one who's going to have to live with the consequences. You hear about "health benefits" but the Canadian pediatric society says only 1% of males left intact at birth ever get circumcised later for medical reasons. So I'm going to cut off a healthy part of his body because there's a 1% chance he'll need it done later? Hell no. It's his right to decide which body parts he wants to keep.

Getting a little testie in here (LOL), so let me relay some valid information.

I once applied to work for a Rabi. When I got there he told me two things. First was that it was to help perform circumcisions...and for cheap money.
When I passed, he said, "well, its cheap money, but you get to keep the tips!".

I asked what the hell would I do with the tips. He then produced a wallet made of forskins. Again, I said no thanks, that's just wrong. He quickly added, "This is no ordinary wallet my son. Rub this just right and it turns into a suitcase!"

Bud-dum.

Deep cleansing breaths people, deep cleansing breaths...Your argument is punctuated more strongly when delivered in a calm assertive tone, not insults.

We chose not to circumcise. For most of the reasons already mentioned here. He's now almost 14, and even during times that he's been a gross dirty boy we've never had a problem. Also, he was born in Los Angeles, where many aren't circumcised. When we moved to PA we worried about locker-room insecurities. But, he's a total jock and there are no problems all the way around.

Wow, this thread still going...and I've missed a flame war? Damit.

Today, parents have a decision to make, but flaming those that make what one may believe is the wrong decision, is not my thing.

My contention here, and what it will always be, is that such a procedure is not a right of decision of the parent, that the only person that has that right is the individual who will have that thing dangling between their legs for the rest of their life.

Just as we have for women the right to choose what is right for their own body, we need to move in that direction for our boys...one of the main reasons that I've been, although I do not wear it the label like a badge, a advocate for men's rights. No reason why our bodies can be controlled, managed, altered by anyone but ourselves.

In the meantime, I harbor no animosity to parents that make such a decision as it has been a social norm for us since well before I was born. That is where this battle lies from my standpoint, not with bashing parents, but taking this society to task on their sexism, hypocrisy, Victorian paganism, mindless brutality, and disregard for individual rights of determination, for men only.

I mean, does anyone remember what we did to our boys in the Victorian era? We talk about the oppression of female sexuality? They had this device, a cage lined with spikes on the inside that was put on the boys penis so that it would cause excruciating pain should the boy have an erection. This was to "cure" chronic masturbation, you know, like curing homosexuality so they don't rape and pillage our young boys. I don't even know how to get my head around the concept of "chronic masturbation".

Of all the f*cked things I've read through the years on this board, what I just wrote myself is the most f*cked of all. I mean, Imagine for a second what his nights were like when the natural occurrence of nocturnal erection occurred? ...and we wonder why so many men grew up with fetishes? Really? We wonder that?

How about the fact that we didn't even know that the clitoris existed as a sex organ until the '60s? How about the rule of sex in the missionary only? How about LGBT? Hell, we didn't write in the ADA (American's with disabilities act) so that our handicapped can go the the facking bank.

This is the same thing, and in 50 years we will look back at this the way we look at that, but when people are in the moment, even good people, they can't see it. Hind sight is always 20/20.

That is where this battle lies, and that is where we have to fight. Roe is the precedent from which this resolution should spring board,b ut it will take time, education, understanding. Keep up the good fight, but do so in a manner that will garner respect and understanding for this issue. Always remember that a lot more people read you then just the few on the board at the time.

My thoughts, and the last in this thread.

Oh, as a side note, it should scare the ever living shit out of every last one of you that DJ is being the voice of reason in a heated thread.

It scares me for sure!

Definitely not. I have no right to surgically alter my son's body.

Never.

I did not, it is easier to explain what you can do than what you can never do.

My infant son wasn't circumsized and never will be unless he chooses so after reaching the age of reason. Mutilating a young child genitals, regardless of reason, religion, or sex/gender is wrong...

I did 😦and i feel bad for making that decision for them. I did it for aesthetic Reasons. My poor boys, i put them through pain selfishly. good thing they will never remember that pain.

My spouse and I are too old to have children. We also do not live in the USA. But if we were 30 years younger and still residing in the USA, we would not circumcise any son. Not only is it medically unnecessary (the AAP thinks otherwise but is simply dead wrong), but it can result in a damaged penis, including sexual damage. We mammals go back about 230M years. Evolution has had a long time to fine tune the human penis. I am sceptical that Nature got that wrong.

That's the way were born ,keep it that way.

No. I'm not down with mutilating and torturing infants. Plus pretty much every other reason already mentioned here. It's only a matter of time before this barbaric ritual is outlawed.

I would say no, theres no reall benefit in the end. I think its mutilation when u do that to an infant even if it is just the fore skin. If u teach him or a medical professional teaches him how to clean him self in that area when hes older he should be fine.

yes yes yes.medically speaking its proven than uncircumcised men carry a higher risk of infection.

I know this is ask men and I am a woman but my husband is circumcised and I had lovers who were not and let me tell you, I would not circumcise my kid.

No all 3 of my boys are intact, it's not something I'd personally entertain.

I would have assumed yes, but after getting pregnant with a boy, the research made us skip it.

im in the uk and its not usual to have it done unless for medical reasons. my son is intact (loooool) kinda find it odd to cut a piece of your child off for no reason. i dont ser the benefit as a women i like the foreskin

No way no how!!!

No! It's an unnecessary risk! The possible benefits do not justify the known costs.

I am circumcised and so are our three sons, WOULD NOT HAVE IT ANYOTHER WAY

I am circumcised and so are our three sones, would NOT have it other way.