Circumcision: Why New Parents Should Reconsider

It's odd in a society where we claim equality and tolerance… a society in which we protest the practices of female genital mutilation as practiced amongst other cultures; we routinely practice infant male circumcision without giving it a second thought. Before anyone gets up in arms, or thinks that I am writing this to point a condemning finger… I would like you to know that is not my point at all. I am writing this article to provoke thought and encourage research. I will clearly state my opinion and my sources, but ultimately what I hope to accomplish is to see people take the time to educate themselves about their children's health and wellness before they make decisions for them.

When I became pregnant for the first time, the subject of circumcision was a hot topic between us. I was thoroughly convinced that if nothing else, as Christians we were expected to carry out the Old Testament covenant of circumcising any male children we might bear. My husband regardless of religious implications was thoroughly opposed, citing his own experiences with circumcision as reasons it should not be done. Upon doing more research I found scriptures that indicated that it was entirely unnecessary Biblically speaking for circumcision. And as I found out I was pregnant with a girl… it turned out to be a moot discussion.

The second time around I found out I was having another girl, but knowing that my husband and I had discussed having three children, and knowing that occasionally the ultrasound is not always accurate in determining gender, I decided to research it anyway. I had a lot of questions. If the New Testament clearly exonerated the practice of circumcision, then why were such a large percentage of parents that still practiced it? It was then I stumbled across the myths of cleanliness and infection, sexual satisfaction, and of all things aesthetics… I passively studied these things during that time but drew no real conclusions.

It was upon joining the message boards at Babycenter that I began finding just how big of a debate this was. Most new mothers know the debates over natural childbirth and epidurals, or breastfeeding vs. bottle feeding… debates in which the claws extend and the fur flies. But if ever there was an aspect of childbirth and baby care that needed to be debated, circumcision would be it. There are two Circumcision boards on Babycenter, one anti and one pro. I recomend joining them both.

Research has been done by many different organizations as to the necessity or lack thereof for circumcision. One of which is the Mothers Against Circumcision . They have a massive network of links on their website citing information that people should be aware of, from studies released by the American Acadamy of Pediatrics which states, "Newborns circumcision is a rapid and generally safe procedure when performed by an experienced operator. It is an elective procedure to be performed only if an infant is stable and healthy. Infants respond to the procedure with transient behavioral and physiologic changes. Local anesthesia (dorsal penile nerve block) may reduce the observed physiologic response to newborn circumcision. It also has its own inherent risks. However, reports of extensive experience or follow-up with the technique in newborns are lacking. Newborn circumcision has potential medical benefits and advantages as well as disadvantages and risks. When circumcision is being considered, the benefits and risks should be explained to the parents and informed consent obtained." This document also contains statements about the rates of UTI's (urinary tract infections) and Penile Cancer as observed retrospectively by Army hospitals, but blatantly states that because of the way the data was collected there may be fundamental flaws in the methodology.

In fact it should be known, that aside from the cultural reasons, this is one of the claims made about Female Circumcision in the Middle East, that it decreases the rate of female UTI's. However it is an unfounded claim, based on skewed studies. In the case of the Wiswell study on UTI's claims that "uncircumcised boys are 10 fold more likely to develop UTI's". What it fails to point out is that often UTI's are contracted for reasons completely unrelated to the foreskin. For instance it's been noted that 60% of children who develop chronic UTI's have an anatomic abnormality that is the culprit. For others factors such as mal-nutrition, constipation, diabetes, and incomplete drainage of the urinary tract can cause UTI's. Also invasive inspections or forceful retraction of the foreskin and over zealous cleaning efforts can also cause UTI's. Most people are unaware that in the infant and childhood stages a young boy's foreskin does not need to be retracted for cleaning. In fact with an uncircumcised child there is no special care involved, whereas there is with a child who has been circumcised. Often retraction does not become necessary until the young man reaches puberty. Routine infant circumcision is not generally practiced in Europe, and statistics have indicated a lower rate of UTI's among the male population than in America. A child may develop a UTI for any variety of reasons, but it does not mean it is necessary to surgically alter a part of a person's anatomy. It is not necessary for it to be done to girls, nor is it necessary to be done to boys. Also it should be noted that this is also an argument for the La Leche Leaguers out there... studies indicate that you can lower a child's risk of a UTI when she breastfeeds.

There are also concerns about the occurrence of certain STD's, but these claims have been knocked out of the water that have found the spread of these diseases has more to do with personal hygiene than circumcision.

There is also the consideration of causing a child unnecessary pain. Circumcision as stated by the AAP is, "an elective surgery" meaning that it is not necessary. They are developing forms of analgesia, but often the dispensation of it is painful in and of itself. Not to mention the time that it takes the circumcision scar to close. During that time there is risk of infection. I have spoken also with grown men who were circumcised at birth that have stated that they still sometimes have trouble with the scar tissue, and infections in the scar tissue. This is not like an inoculation, where you are causing the child pain for their benefit. This is a completely elective surgery.

There are a vast array of issues and questions regarding the topic of infant circumcision. Heated discussions, and heated debates. The biggest thing parents should know is that they need to be informed, and know exactly why they are choosing whatever it is they choose for their child. The reason for this is that if you do choose not to circumcise, it's quite possible that you will meet resistance. The healthcare industry charges for all of these circumcisions that they perform. They make money off of it. When our son was born, my husband and I both had decided not to circumcise him. We literally had to argue with the nurses. They didn't seem to understand we simply had decided against it, and tried to assure us that they could give him something so that it wouldn't hurt, and that our insurance would cover the cost of it. We had to fight for our right to make that decision for our son… for his right not to have a piece of his body removed that didn't need to be removed. However, after leaving the hospital we've found more and more people are electing not to have their sons circumcised, and our pediatrician was actually quite pleased that we made the choice we did and stood up for it. My son is going on 3 years old now and has not had the first UTI.

And if you do choose to circumcise, you will need to be able to give your sons honest legitimate answers for doing so when they are old enough to ask. If it's for cultural reasons, or what you believe in spiritually, then that should be your answer. Health and cleanliness issues have been proven not to be legitimate issues at all.

For further information on the subject I recommend joining the discussions on the Babycenter message boards, and perusing the articles and references given on the Mothers Against Circumcision web-sites.