Comments on: The circumcision post

By: Erin

Erin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 22:39:16 +0000

I realize I am late on this conversation, but the more I read the more I wanted to comment. The decision to circumcise or not was a really big one for my husband (who is circumcised) and I. We decided not to, and I am so very glad we did. The more I thought about it the more I felt it was just not my place to make a decision like that about his body. It had developed that way in my womb, and I had so much respect for that. My husband has no regrets about being circumcised, but felt the same way that I did- it just wasn’t our place to make that decision. As for our son feeling out of place in the future, which seems to be the most common pro-circ reason, there are so many people now who are making the decision not to circumcise, it’s much different than when we were growing up. I respect every parent’s choice, but the thought of having that done to my own child made me feel so sad. Although he wouldn’t have remembered it when he was older, he would still have had to experience it at his most fragile and vulnerable time.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:16:22 +0000

As a registered nurse, I am much more pro-circumcision than not. My husband just got married and when we have children-any males will be circumcised. I have to say I agree with many people on here who said “Why the controversy?”. If you want to, do it, if not, don’t. Unless it is for religious purposes, I don’t believe there is a morally or ethically correct way. From a nursing prospective, I worked in NICU for a while and found that circumcision is done with the use of local anesthetic and the nurses generally gave “sweeties” which is like a sugar covered pacifier to suck on. The baby was never shackled to a bed and I never saw an infected circumcision the entire time I worked there. Additionally, I know many circumcised men, none of whom remember being circumcised. I transferred to adult emergency medicine where I had to care for many adult males, both circumcised and not. I have to say that the uncircumcised penis is a breeding ground for bacteria and infection for anyone who is unable to clean themselves (or just doesn’t care to). Having also worked in a nursing home, I’ve seem uncircumcised penises on that end of life and again, these men would have been better off being circumcised- they would have avoided unnecessary infections and been able to keep themselves clean.

Also, the reason why there are not pro-circumcision websites out there for you to find is likely because it is an accepted medical practice in America. There is no need to promote or defend it. And when it comes to porn, if you search any and all things regarding the penis you will probably be linked to porn…regardless of whether it is circumcised or uncircumcised that you are searching for.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 19:13:30 +0000

I just wanted to verify the sex claim. I have lately had the pleasure (ha) of the company of American men and English men. (not at the same time) Most American men in my age group are circ’d while most English men are intact. I first noticed the difference during fellatio. When doing with American men, this requires some mental preparation, jaw stretches and putting something on TV because it may take a while. When I did this for my English companion, I was amazed that it was actually fun for both of us; it’s a bit like a clitoris on a stick, so well-adjusted females need not fear it’s unfamiliarity. It’s softer, as in not calloused, and the movable parts are pretty cool. I didn’t have time to get bored and he expressed his enjoyment from beginning to the end, about 5 minutes later. There was no, “oh, I’m so close, keep doing that” (for another 10 minutes) like with circ’d men. I think circumcision is the reason so many women hate performing fellatio, the decreased sensitivity turns it into a bit of a chore.

As for intercourse, female pleasure and the foreskin, I am unable to comment. I use condoms.

I’m submitting this anonymously for obvious reasons.

Signed,
J

By: Hannah

Hannah — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 03:57:49 +0000

I decided to circumcise my son based on my research and my husband’s wishes and in retrospect, I regret it. It was obviously painful for him, and if I could go back and do something differently, I absolutely would.

That said, as a scientist, the information in this post is not
thorough and includes a lot of statements from others that are factually untrue. I am not questioning any mother’s right to make her own decision and I can tell that yours was heartfelt. However, it appears that much of what you read was anti-circumcision propaganda. Some of the claims made simply aren’t supported by the science. I think in the end you made a great decision :-) but there are real STD prevention related reasons to circumcise and if people go to the actual journal articles instead of relying on second and third hand info, they’ll see that they haven’t been “debunked” as the quote above says. I’m not saying it’s enough of a reason to do it, but thorough research should include the accurate information. I think every parent should make an informed decision, and being informed means knowing all the facts.

Here’s a useful site with links to the relevant studies:
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/circumcision.htm

By: jim dorey

jim dorey — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:29:09 +0000

perhaps just making mention of ‘a’ source, instead of the only source is what they’re doing by bringing mr. fleiss up.

By: Leigh

Leigh — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 20:54:46 +0000

Wow, it seems like the majority of the reasons against circumcision are from one source, Heidi Fleiss’s dad. In the medical community, he’s widely recognized as someone who took advantage of the circumcision controversy to make money. I would have sought a second (and third and fourth) opinion.