To Cut or Not to Cut: The Circumcision Debate

During pregnancy, you do everything you can to keep your little bundle of joy safe. You eat the right foods, get the right exercise, and do your best to make sure your little one is healthy. During birth, you go natural in order to protect that precious little one from any danger, knowing the results of interventions. You work hard in labor to make it to the end, finally having your adorable baby boy in your arms. During diaper changes, you be so very careful, knowing how fragile your new baby is; carefully making sure that he is content and never hurting. 

Then, we allow someone to come in and cut off a piece of his flesh, with no pain medications, no comfort measures. Your baby boy searches for you during this time, but momma is nowhere to be found. He has never experienced pain before now. 

"But it's better for him," you say, "he'll get fewer infections." 

Let's explore that idea. This article  states: (The studies show) "that circumcision resulted in a "ten to hundred times decrease in urinary tract infections in circumcised boys," has often been quoted; however, it is misleading. In fact, UTIs are so rare in any case that, using Wiswell's data, 50 to 100 healthy boys would have to be circumcised in order to prevent a UTI from developing in only one patient. (Using more recent data from a better-controlled study, the number of unnecessary operations needed to prevent one hospital admission for UTI would jump to 195."  

"But if it saves that ONE boy out of 100, isn't a worth it?"

Have you ever had a UTI? What did you do to treat it? Antibiotics of course, you wouldn't cut off a piece of your body! This article shows baby girls are significantly more likely than male babies (even uncircumcised males) to get UTI's.

Of course your response would be "but it's easier to cut off a little piece of skin on a boy than to do surgery to prevent UTI's on females." Think of it in this way: You wouldn't let your dentist remove teeth in order to prevent cavities! That would be just silly! 

The rate of uncircumcised males getting UTI's are 1-4%, the complication risk of circumcision is 0.2 to 38 percent. (The higher rate included complications reported during the infants� first year.  Looking at these numbers, the risk of complications greatly outweighs the benefits.

"But it's a cultural thing; my baby would look weird if we don't get him circumcised."

More and more mothers are becoming informed about circumcision. Only 55% of male babies born this year are circumcised. The cultural argument is very much becoming a thing of the past. Half of the other boys in the locker room will look similar. 

"But it's Biblical, my child would not be considered a Christian if he is uncircumcised."

Circumcision does have its roots in Christianity, as God required any Jewish man to be circumcised in the Old Testament. Once Jesus came, died, and rose again, the faith was opened up to everybody who would believe in the one true God. Galatians 5:6 says this:” For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." The New Testament says over and over again that circumcision no longer matters. Christ died for EVERYONE to become a new creation in him, and circumcision is no longer a requirement! Jesus died to set us free from the law. 

"But I want my little boy to look like his father, who is circumcised." 

Are you going to have your little boy's eye color changed to match daddy's? Dye his hair to match daddy's? We all look different. We shouldn't pressure baby to look like anyone else but himself, and comparing genitalia should never be encouraged. Too many boys’ self-esteem comes from comparing themselves to other males; please don't start this when they are young. Your child won't notice the difference in the same way he wouldn't notice his hair is blonde and daddy's is brown, and once he becomes old enough to know that, he shouldn't be looking at daddy's penis anyway! 

"Does foreskin even have a purpose?" 

This article states MANY purposes of circumcision: Feel free to click the link and read the purposes in more detail! The purposes include protection, self-cleansing function, self-protecting function, immunological protection, antibacterial function, coverage during erection, erogenous sensitivity, self-stimulating sexual function, self-lubricating function, and production, retention, and dispersal of pheromones. It's amazing actually how much purpose the foreskin has! 

I really hope this has helped encourage you to rethink your circumcision decision. It is something that will affect your son for his entire life.

Also, if you decide to leave your son intact, do not retract the foreskin. Read on how to take care of an intact penis. Only clean what is seen. 

For more research, check out The Whole Network. They have a tremendous amount of great information for any questions you may have!