Circumcision: The Whole Truth

The truth about circumcision

We are all committed to natural birth, which relies on our belief in the physiological design of the human body. So, it’s really interesting that elective surgery on newborns is a conversation we are having today.

One of the most difficult (and controversial) decisions parents have to make is whether to circumcise their newborn son. Circumcising my sons is my BIGGEST Regret from my early parenting decisions. I have prepared this article to give you the information I wish someone had shared with me.

Circumcision is a surgical procedure that seems like a “normal” choice. For some people, choosing to leave a son in-tact is an “alternative.” There is a growing conversation about whether circumcision has a place in the modern world. Please take the time to read the evidence, discuss the complexities, and arrive at an informed choice that takes into account your son’s unique needs and future life. The decision to circumcise can’t be “undone”, so it’s really worth thinking through. Please do your research. Give it a lot of thought.

This article by Evidence Based Birth discusses all sides of the conversation. There’s also a GREAT video called “The Elephant in the Hospital”. You can watch it HERE. Here are some excerpts from The Elephant in the Hospital. HERE

In a nutshell, here’s the blunt truth . . .

1) There are no true medical reasons to circumcise your son. It is cosmetic. Period. People who circumcise their child are supporting cosmetic revisions to another persons genitals because they think the look of their child’s genitals will affect their success somehow in the future. Think about that for a moment.

2) There are no other examples of surgeries we do on any person of any age without a clear medical reason. We don’t routinely use preventative surgery to prevent common illnesses like tonsillitis, ear infections, or appendicitis. Claiming to do circumcision to prevent rare diseases is inconsistent — unless you are also going to schedule surgery for more common illnesses. OR, you could just treat infections as they come up.

3) Even the most observant religious persons have the alternative of not circumcising their son; but especially if you do not live by all of the Biblical mandates, circumcision is not essential. Your religion is personal; your child’s religious choices will also be personal. Let him make that choice for his body.

4) Babies don’t “look like dad” whether dad is circumcised or not. Babies don’t know if they look like dad.

5) “The baby’s Dad wants to do it even if I don’t” Very often, expectant mothers defer to the preference of their partner / the baby’s father and allow this decision to be made by the dad because “he has a penis so he should get to decide for our son.” I respect that couples want to collaborate and consider each other’s point of view. I have 2 thoughts about just handing the decision to the baby’s dad:

1) In this decision and in all major decisions in a committed relationship, both people should agree before making a decision that can’t be un-done. If your child ends up with an injury, or consequences of this procedure, or even if your child is one day upset with you for augmenting his body, you can’t say “I didn’t make the decision.” You are making a decision - whether you are adding your viewpoint to the discussion or not, you are participating in the decision.

2), I have talked to a lot of men about this topic over 8 years as a midwife and 20-years in pregnancy education. Many times, the expectant father explains that he, himself, preferred being circumcised. He projects that he would have been self-conscious in the locker room in his middle school decade. You do realize that your child’s viewpoints and mindset and temperament are going to be different from yours or his dad’s, right? And, the culture he grows up in will be very different from what we have now. And, more than that, you don’t actually even know what his lived experience will be. It’s all his. It’s all in the future. And, it all depends on his viewpoint. Not yours. Are you revising your son’s penis because you prefer it for yourself, and you imagine his teenage experience will be the same as yours?

6) There are risks to surgery, and some babies have to have reconstruction if it doesn’t go well. Taking an unnecessary risk without any benefits is not ideal. I have had new moms call me in tears because their baby was hurting, they were giving the baby Tylenol or other pain medication . . . after spending their whole pregnancy avoiding anything harmful or toxic for their baby. The range of emotions related to feeling pushed into circumcising their son and dealing with both normal effects and risks - it’s intense!

7) Babies feel pain. Their body will record the pain. Circumcision cuts of 1/3 of the most nerve intensive tissue on his body. Rabbis don’t use anesthesia. Some midwives use only topical numbing. There is clear evidence that intense pain in an infant affects his perception of pain negatively across his whole lifetime.

8) If you wouldn’t do surgery on your 2-day old daughter for social / cosmetic reasons, you shouldn’t do surgery on your newborn son for social / cosmetic reasons.

9) You can teach your son how to be proud of his body, and how to respond to bullying without offering surgery as the first solution.

10) Fewer and fewer people are circumcising their sons. By the time your son is in high school, only 50% of kids will be circumcised.

My challenge to you: Let your child decide. It’s his penis. How it looks and how it feels & functions should be his choice. If he wants to be circumcised he can have that elective surgery done when he’s an adult. It is not any more painful as an adult — it’s just that babies can’t talk so we assume they don’t feel.

If you are expecting a son, please seriously evaluate whether this is a procedure you want to have done to your son. We would love to answer your questions in an upcoming prenatal appointment

If you are planning to circumcise your son, we feel STRONGLY that you should only use a provider who uses anesthesia. There is a popular rabbi who does circumcisions, but he does not use anesthesia. Removing 1/3 of the most nerve intensive tissue on a human without anesthesia is inhumane.

There is a doctor in plano - Gentle Procedures - who uses anesthesia. And, Circumcision by Christina also uses a topical numbing agent..