I am what some refer to as an intactivist. When I was pregnant with Connor, I thought I would have him circumcised. Because of his prematurity, it couldn't be done in the hospital. I thank God for that. Had they been able to do it before Connor was discharged, I wouldn't have made an educated decision. When I was pregnant, I was going to do it just because that's what everybody did. I wasn't educated on the facts of circ, didn't know how it was done, and never gave a second thought to how it would affect my child.
Thankfully, I was able to educate myself in the months between his birth, and when he was big enough and stable enough to have this barbaric procedure performed on him.
82% of the world's living men are intact. If being intact is such a bad thing, then why are only 18% of men circed? Logic tells us if being intact is such a horrible thing, and leads to cancer, UTI's and other infections, the statistics would be reversed. Additionally, circumcision was started in the United States as a deterrent to masturbation. The thinking was the pre-pubescent and adolescent male would remember the pain of his circ and therefore be less likely to masturbate. Routine infant circumcision (RIC) is not performed in most medically advanced nations.
The foreskin is not just a useless peice of skin. In the extremely rare occasions when an infant is born without a foreskin, it is reported as a birth defect. Donn't you find it diconcerting that we force this birth defect on our sons? The foreskin does have a purpose. There are at least 12 known functions of the foreskin. These functions include protecting the infants glans from feces and ammonia in diapers, to protect the glans from friction and abrasion through out life, and as an aid for penetration.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING CIRCUMCISION
When the baby is brought into the room to have part of his penis cut off, he is strapped down to a device called a circumstraint. It has vecro straps to restrain his arms and legs so he can not move. Then the penis is disinfected with betadine and draped with a sterile drape.
The penile opening in an infant is small in order to protect the penis from foreign substances. The first thing the doctor does is grab the foreskin with forceps and widen the opening. Then the foreskin is ripped away from the glans, which it is fused to and is not made to be retractable for several years.
The foreskin is then clamped and a slit is made on the dorsal side. The slit is then seperated and the foreskin is laid back, exposing the raw and bleeding glans. A plastibell is then laid over the glans and the foreskin laid over it. Then the doctor ties a ligature around the foreskin as tight as possible. After a couple minutes, the foreskin is cut off using a knife or scissors. The doctor cuts as much skin off as possible to reduce the amount of necrotic skin and the risk of infection. On average, one third of the penile skin is removed during circumcision.
I will never understand how a parent can let thier baby boy go thru this terrible procedure. How can a mother not research and make an educated decision? How can a mother who knows what happens during circumcision allow it to happen? I think everybody who thinks they will have their son circed should have to watch a video of the procedure before hand. If they still want their son circed, they should then have to be the one who holds down thier screaming newborn baby boy while part of his penis is amputated.
Circumcision is a barbaric practice. The owner of the penis is the one who should be making the decisions on what type of cosmetic surgery is performed. A newborn infant is incapable of making those decisions. I hear the arguement of at least he won't remember it being done. So what? Who are you to take away your sons right to bodily integrity? At least if your son makes the decision to be circed as an adult, he will have pain medication before and after the procedure, and the open wound will not be constantly exposed to feces and urine.
CIRCUMCISION MYTHS
There are many myths surrounding circumcision. A popular one is an intact penis is more likely to develop cancer or contract an STD. I ask you this: what do any of those things have to do with an infant boy? Nothing!! An infant is not at risk for cancer or STDs. This myth isn't even true, no matter the age of the male. He does not have a higher or lower risk of penile cancer based on if his penis is left the way it was designed or not. A circumsized penis is not any more or less likely to contract/spread STDs.
Hygiene- an intact penis is self cleaning. Until the foreskin is retractable, there is no need to do anything special or different. Once the foreskin is retractable, the male only needs to pull the foreskin back and rinse with water.
It will be inevitable later in life- not so! As long as you teach your son proper hygiene practices, there is nothing to worry about. You teach your child how to wash the rest of his body, how to brush his teeth, how to clean himself after using the bathroom. Do you really think it is that hard to teach him how to take care of his penis?
It doesn't hurt- evidence has shown over and over that infants feel pain more accutely than adults. Many babies have actually passed out from the shock and pain of being circumsized. Thier parents mistakenly believe they are being brought back to them asleep, when they are really passed out.
Increased risk of UTI- the increased chance of a UTI in an intact male is statistically insignificant.
No comments:
Post a Comment