Unpopular Opinions: Circumcision
I am contemplating writing regular “Unpopular Opinions” posts for this blog. Not only is controversy interesting and good for traffic, it seems like a lot of my thoughts end up falling on the unpopular side anyway. The concept of ‘Alternative’ Housewife was tongue-in-cheek built around the fact that my opinions don’t quite fall in with any popular blogging group. For my first Unpopular post, something a bit safe – Circumcision. I’m not sure if this qualifies as an unpopular opinion, as the rate of cut to uncut in the U.S. is said to be around 50/50 as of now (and the majority of baby boys worldwide are not circumcised), but it is definitely a heated topic in many circles.
I am not going to circumcise my son, due in September. I had pretty much decided this before I knew much more than that the procedure isn’t necessary, but reading up on the subject gave me plenty of reasons to back up my decision.
Some interesting facts about circumcision and foreskin:
Circumcision in America started in the Victorian era as a punishment for masturbation.
Cut penises often have less sensitivity as a result of constant, unprotected friction.
Foreskin is self-lubricating and a woman is less likely to require lube when having sex with an uncut man.
What is lost with circumcision:
“The essential “gliding” mechanism. If unfolded and spread out flat, the average adult foreskin measures about 15 square inches, the size of a postcard. This abundance of specialized, self-lubricating mobile skin gives the natural penis its unique hallmark ability to smoothly “glide” in and out within itself—permitting natural non-abrasive masturbation and intercourse, without drying out the vagina or requiring artificial lubricants.”
The pleasure factor is one of the main reasons I am against circumcision. If you have had sex with both a cut and an uncut man, you know what I’m talking about, and the facts above back it up. I’m not ashamed to say that I want my son to have good sex someday! Cutting off the foreskin is essentially the same thing as cutting off the clitoral hood.
There are some studies that claim circumcision might reduce the risk of contracting HIV or other sexually transmitted disease by something like .01%. (If you’re relying on that, you are really cutting things close, no pun intended.) Additionally, the justification I hear for circumcision most frequently is that it is cleaner, and that young boys in particular don’t clean under the foreskin well enough. To this I say, how about we teach our sons not to be disgusting and to clean themselves properly! The vagina requires a bit of internal cleaning too, but maybe it’s just OK for boys to be lazy. It is extreme to put a child through minor surgery to avoid having to talk to them about penile hygiene and safe sex.
Note: While I touched on cleanliness for the sake of argument, a boy’s uncirc penis does not actually require additional cleaning and in fact should not be forcefully retracted. The foreskin of a baby serves to protect the glans from the friction and ammonia of a dirty diaper. After circumcision, the fresh wound is exposed to urine, possibly feces and chemicals in mainstream diapers.
If you are considering circumcising your baby, I highly recommend that you Google some images first, watch a video of an actual circumcision, then make your decision.
Sources: The Case Against Circumcision, Should Tradition Trump Reason
Open to comments! Did or would you circumcise your son? Do uncut men make better lovers?
© 2012
Our first son was circumsized. I’ll be totally, 100% honest and admit that it happened only because we didn’t educate ourselves about it beforehand. The hospital staff presented it as a routine proceedure, and we assumed that there was a reason. My husband, after all, was circumsized as an infant. Obviously there was a good reason for it all, right?
My son had complications from his “routine proceedure”, and cried uncontrollably for days. It is absolutely excruciating to hold your tiny, fresh, two day old son as he sobs like that. It’s just so, so awful. And then, after the fact, his remaining forskin attempted to reattach (how smart his body was, trying for self preservation!). He’s constantly had irritation at the location of the circumsizion, even 3.5 years later, and he’s always woken up severely red in the morning because of how irritated it would get over night.
I began running with “crunchier” circles before my second son was born. I met a few dozen anti-circumcision ladies and decided to research myself. It didn’t take a whole lot to get my husband on board, after watching his oldest son suffer.
I have always been glad as a Jew that I will NEVER have to make this decision….there are some traditions that must stand. And while I found your article interesting, the fact is that circumcisions started much earlier than the Victorian era.
The standard American circumcision is a much different operation than that of the traditional Orthadox Jewish circumcision which, in comparison, is simply a nick of the forskin as opposed the removal of the majority of the forskin. The method of circumcision used here today was developed during the Victorian era for the exact purpose that J stated in her blog…as an aversion to masturbation through desensitization.
I’m interested in the differences between the traditional and American circ, but the phrasing “some traditions that must stand” is scary. Really, it’s part of your religion, so you don’t question it at all??
I was only referring to circumcision’s origins in the United States – I have no idea what the religious reasons are.
Here’s a great article about this, posted by peaceful parenting over the weekend!
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/07/biblical-circumcision-information.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PeacefulParenting+%28peaceful+parenting%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
Yeah really. Segregation was a “tradition”. Slavery too. Do you just draw the line arbitrarily?
Except that the tradition form of circumcision way back in the day was a notch, not this complete and total sexual assualt it is today! When the Jews tried to hide among the Greeks, they could. With today’s circumcision, it would never work. Circumcision was changed because of rabbis, not what the original commandment was.
And ftr, being Jewish doesn’t make it okay to mutilate your kid. In fact, no religion should be used as a reason to do this to a child!!
Keith and I made this decision before we even set a wedding date. It was easy for us, though, because Keith is uncut. I know a lot of parents have a hard time with this decision when the father is circumcised, because they worry about how to explain to their child why Daddy’s penis looks different. Of course, my natural response to that is Daddy’s penis is already like ten times bigger, so it shouldn’t be THAT hard to explain. But I do understand the worry that a boy will be mocked or made to feel like an outcast in the locker room. Fortunately, I think the trend really is moving toward leaving penises be.
That’s our situation as well, and it does make the choice easier. I think the problem is that addressing circumcision as something bad makes men who are already cut feel shamed in a way, and men and women who have never seen what a normal (uncut) penis looks like are even intimidated by it. But if everyone just did their research and opted out now, in a few generations everyone would look alike and that problem would resolve itself.
After seeing an intact penis, cut ones just look fucking ridiculous to me now.
I am not that worried about it. My husband is cut, but if we have boys, they will not. I don’t think the whole “matching” business makes sense. First of all, what father and son do you know of that compare their penises?! LOL. Secondly, my breasts aren’t going to match my daughter’s. Neither will my vulva. So what?
Neither of my boys is cut. We made the decision before the first one was born; my partner and I both felt that altering a baby’s body without his consent was…not how we wanted to start the parent/child relationship. I have freedom of choice with regard to my own body – I chose to have these children, for example – and I want my kids to enjoy that same choice. If they want to circ, pierce, tattoo when they’re older, that’s fine.
And having dealt with the mess that is post-partum, itty baby diapers, diaper rashes, belly button stump paranoia (is it dry enough? is it infected?) I am so glad we didn’t have to deal with a tiny little wound on a tiny little penis too.
Great post and what a lucky boy.
I couldn’t agree more with much of what you said, especially the: “There are some studies that claim circumcision might reduce the risk of contracting HIV or other sexually transmitted disease by something like .01%.” Rarely do you hear (when the claims are made) what the actual change in risks are, since they are really very small.
I find the BIG decision that people make about whether or not to circumcise so alien! Here in Ireland it is only offered for medical reasons! If it were a choice to make though I don’t think I could do it and I find your post super interesting!!
my hubby is uncut and I like it that way.
Thank you for posting this.
Brings me back to my university days when my female roommates were quite passionately against female circumcision… and while I agreed with them, I also pointed out that ALL circumcision is pretty nasty, immoral business.
They did not see my point as they felt uncut penises were disgusting.
Years later, I’m still angry at their double standard and ignorance.
I’m not cut myself, which I am grateful for. Why would you do that to a baby? Hate to question ancient customs… but really? Why would anyone ever experiment on genital surgery just because someone thought God said to.
Your post put everything I’ve thought and argued much more succinctly than I ever did.
My husband is uncircumcised as well and the first time I saw it I was like, “Hmm, this is different,” but that was the extent of it. When we became intimate, I learned that an uncut penis is more pleasurable for both parties.
I agree that your female roommates were hypocrites and that must have been rough to hear them say those things.
When my son was born, he had a hearing test in the same room where they conduct circumcisions, and we saw the table with straps to hold the babies down. It was certainly not a sterile room and it looked like those pull-down diaper changing stations they have in public bathrooms.
Thankfully more moms (parents) are choosing not to have their boys cut, and then those boys will surely grow up to leave their sons intact. I believe that most people who choose to circumcise do so feeling that it is the social ‘norm’, so as the numbers shift that will change.
Thank you for taking the time to comment – It’s nice to have a male reader!