A mother shares her story of how she was previously pro-circumcision, and how her views have changed.

Written by Ashley L.
Posted With Permission from Author

“It’s a boy!”

There really was no surprise when the ultrasound tech said those three words. I already knew. Having had both a boy and a girl in the past, I could just feel it. My husband beamed with pride, as this would be his first biological son (my six-year old son Blake was from a past relationship,) and he couldn't be happier. I, too, was elated at the chance to raise another son, another lovely bundle of blue. Circumcision wasn't brought up at the time, probably because we both assumed since my husband and first born were circumcised, this one would be, too. As my due date drew near I began to get this feeling in my gut. I don't know how to explain it other than feeling nervous and edgy. I knew what it was about. I had the same feeling when it was time to set up the appointment to get Blake (my six-year old) circumcised.

The story of Blake hurts a little more to talk about, simply for the fact that I almost saved him as well. But due to pressure from many sources, I ended up caving and threw him under the bus at the last second, so to speak. I really didn't want to circumcise him. I knew it was unnecessary, but the appointment had been set, the money had been paid, and everything was ready to go. The night before he was to go in, my boyfriend and I got into a huge fight about it. I was scared and didn't want to send my one-month old son in for something he didn’t need. My boyfriend was mad because he had set up a ride for me and paid the doctor. We went to bed that night without speaking and still both very angry. The next day his brother didn’t show up to take me to the appointment. When I called my son’s father, he bluntly told me that he had told him not to come. He then hung up on me. With that said, the current me would have gone down to his work and kicked his butt for being a jerk and put him in his place. Unfortunately, the 18-year-old me hung up with tears in my eyes, and called my grandma to ask her for a ride to the doctor. My whole family is/was pro-circumcision so she happily came down. If I had of had just one person to call for support, things could have gone very different that day, but I had no one. I also didn’t use the internet at the time, so I had no facts or evidence to sway anyone’s opinions. I was just an 18-year-old girl with a bad feeling in her stomach.

My son’s circumcision went as “normal” as an unnecessary surgery could go. There were tears and blood, sleepless nights, horrible diaper changes, and crusty, multicolored genitals. Yes, this is what they considered “normal.” Everything healed and life went back to normal. At that time, I still thought the surgery was the worst part. I still thought they had cut off an “extra piece of skin” that had no function. My boyfriend brought me flowers and apologized for the way he had acted. At the time, I still didn’t realize that it was my son that we should both be apologizing to. I still thought circumcision was just a little “cut.” At that time I believe I chose to ignore the size of the wound. Just by looking at that, anyone with a brain could tell it was more than a little snip. But my son’s circumcision had been done without any type of numbing, so in order to accept that it was more than a small snip, I would have to accept that I had sent my one-month-old in for an incredibly painful procedure without the aid of any pain medication. Self-preservation comes in many forms, and from personal experience, I can tell you one of the most successful ones is denial. And it worked. For six years it worked beautifully. Until those three words were said again..... "It's a boy!"  

Back to 2011: So as I sat there with a belly full of worries, I began to wonder if perhaps I should look into what happens during a circumcision a little more closely. By this time, I had access to the internet at my fingertips, and believed I owed at least that much to my belly-dwelling son. I was a mere two weeks away from my due date at this time. I started by simply typing “circumcision” into the search box on Facebook, expecting to come across a few groups to discuss in. To my surprise, I only came across anti-circumcision groups (not such a big surprise now that I know the facts). I looked in a few, and started to absorb some information.

In this next part of the story, I’m going to be writing about how I felt from a pro-circumcision point of view. Please excuse any hard feelings I had towards any of you, or the “intactivist” point of view. As you know, my opinions have changed so much, so I do not feel this way anymore. As I scanned through the pages, I was almost mad. How dare these people try to take away my rights as a parent to circumcise?! Who are they to tell me or anyone what we can or cannot do to our children? One of the posts on The WHOLE Network referred people to the GabeandJess page, where a heated debate about circumcision was happening. I felt that this may be my time to shine! Boy was I in for a shock. I came and let everyone know that I was expecting a boy, but was unsure about circumcising. I came in with the typical pro-circumcision arguments such as “it's cleaner,” “but daddy has it done,” “I live in an area where it's quite common and don’t want him being made fun of,” and “it's a parents choice.” Right away I was hit with links and facts, videos and personal stories. So much information in such a small amount of time. The seed had been planted but apparently part of me still didn’t want to go down without a fight. I'm guessing it was the part that would have to go back and rethink on the issue of my firstborn, and would have to admit that I did wrong by him.

Over the next week or so I was in too many discussions to keep count, read far too much for my already sleep deprived mind to comprehend, and overloaded my phone with circumcision websites. I did so much research I'm pretty sure my eyes bled. I came across so much new information and FACTS that I had no clue about whatsoever. The primary cause for the change of heart was the videos. There’s something about seeing the actual surgery that leaves you feeling a little empty. If I had only seen that before I had my first son, he would have remained intact as well. May I also add, I truly don’t have a weak stomach. I’ve been to more than my fair share of “gore” websites, have come across some horrible things and still went back for more. But yet when I came across a video of a baby being circumcised, I could only watch a small part of it, and with no sound. The cries of the baby alone made me sick. Seeing is believing, and the videos and pictures truly do speak a thousand words. It was a life-changing moment when I finally realized that, no matter what, my son was not going under the knife.

I went from pro-circumcision, to “I’m not going to circumcise, but I don’t see any problem with it,” to actually getting offended when other parents talked about how they got it done to their son and it was “no big deal.” It was a quick process and now that I'm standing on the other side, I’m not sure how I was ever pro-circumcision in the first place. When I first entered the debates, I hated the saying “when you know better, you do better.” It was thrown around a lot, and it seemed condescending to me. Now from this view, all it is is the truth. When you know better, you WILL do better. It's not offensive, it's the honest to God truth.

For those of you wondering how I got my pro-circumcision husband to accept and agree, it was actually quite simple. Although I knew without a doubt that we would not be circumcising, I still let him think it was open for debate. He may have been pro-circumcision, but he was also pro-clean house, pro-steak dinners, pro-clean laundry, pro-sleeping through the night when he has to work the next day, and pro-happy wife. I simply let him know all the things that may or may not be lost if he tried to put up a fight about this. Then I hit him with some facts and statistics, some truthful information, some horrible pictures, and a horrible video. He came around without much of a fight at all. In the long run, he was glad he did. We didn’t have to worry about making that dreaded appointment, the after care, or the possible complications. I also found out, through being vocal about our decision, that my cousin did not circumcise her two boys either. Hearing that made everything all the more easier.

One last thing I'd like to share from this experience was the conversation between my husband and I, the one that sealed his decision 100%. It was hard to have to say it, but I believe it needed to be said, and it got the point across. It went a little something like this: “Let’s say that we don’t circumcise, and the worst case scenario happens: perhaps phimosis? So he has to go to the doctors for steroid cream. Maybe he will be mad that we didn’t do it when he was a baby. I know there is a tiny percent of men who wish they had been circumcised when they were children, so I will take the blame for that one. I will apologize and tell him we did our best, and that I'm sorry that he fell into the small percent of men who wish later on in life that they had been circumcised as babies. I alone will take the blame if he feels that we wronged him in some way. In return, will you take the blame if we circumcise and the worst case scenario happens? Will you apologize, and tell him we did the best we could for him? Will you look at him in his perfect little angelic face, as they lower the lid to his coffin, and tell him that you didn’t know better? That if you had of known the end result, you wouldn’t have done it? Well, let’s never find out.”

On November 3rd 2011, after only two hours of labor, our son finally came out to meet us! Our son’s birth went smoothly, and we took him home twenty-four hours after. All of him. Every last perfect, whole part. And we couldn't be happier. All because a few people from this page wouldn’t let me forget that, although I may be the parent, I am not the person who gets to decide which body parts he gets to keep. So the moral of that story is: Although we may pretend we don’t hear your points, we do. Keep planting those seeds, believe me, they grow into wonderful things.

Starting in September, 2011, Psychology Today began a six part series on circumcision. Each article is accurate, up-to-date and extremely informative. Everything is covered from circumcision myths to ethics.

Part 1: Myths About Circumcision You Likely Believe:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201109/myths-about-circumcision-you-likely-believe

Part 2: More Circumcision Myths You May Believe: Hygiene and STDs: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201109/more-circumcision-myths-you-may-believe-hygiene-and-stds

Part 3: Circumcision: Social, Sexual, Psychological Realities:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201109/circumcision-social-sexual-psychological-realities

Part 4: Circumcision Ethics and Economics:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201109/circumcision-ethics-and-economics

Part 5: What Is the Greatest Danger for an Uncircumcised Boy? http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201110/what-is-the-greatest-danger-uncircumcised-boy

Part 6: Why Continue To Harm Boys From Ignorance of Male Anatomy?
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201110/why-continue-harm-boys-ignorance-male-anatomy

A mother shares about the pressure she received from her spouse, and how her son's botched circumcision caused her to regret going against her instincts. 
Posted with Permission from Author

When I found out my second child was a boy, I started immediately thinking of the differences I would find in parenting and care-taking between him and my first born daughter. As I sat at lunch one day with my sister and mother, my sister asked me if I planned on circumcision. We sat there talking and she informed me if she could go back, she wouldn’t do it to my nephew. My mother agreed, stating that if she had had the choice all those years ago, she doesn’t think she would have done it to my three brothers. I was unsure, however; I don’t have a penis, never had to care for one, never knew anything different than circumcision. But I was young. The world was changing. So I did what any reasonable young mother would do. I researched.

I googled everything I could think of, day and night. I watched videos, read articles, looked up scientific facts on pros and cons. I blogged and tweeted my concerns, asking for help making this decision from friends, family, and even strangers. In my heart I knew it was wrong, I couldn’t find any reason to justify it, but I also struggled finding a reason to justify not doing it to my husband. He was convinced it had to be done, that it was cleaner, that it was easier to care for, that it was the natural thing to do. My son would look different than his peers, he would look different than his father, and women wouldn’t be attracted to it. I tried to show him the research, I tried to discuss it, I tried to show him the videos, but to no avail. I couldn’t convince him and I was tired of fighting. Finally, someone gave me this advice, “If you’re still unsure and it’s that important to your husband, just let him decide, even if you don’t agree on it.” So I did. I relented and said, “Fine, dear, have it your way.”

The days and weeks leading up to the birth of our son, I still tried, without luck, to make my husband reconsider. Not even reconsider really, but to just consider another option. He wouldn't watch the videos and stated plainly that I had no idea what owning and cleaning a penis entailed; it would be much more difficult if he was left intact. Did I really want that?

My son was born early on a July morning, and by the afternoon the nurse came around to ask if we were choosing circumcision. I was alone in the hospital room at this point and nearly told her no, to leave him alone, but instead I choked out a yes and was told that he would be picked up tomorrow morning for his “procedure.”

The next day, I sat; silently praying they wouldn’t show up, that they would forget about us, about him, about his penis. They allowed me to finish nursing while they described the way it would happen, what they would do to soothe him and had me sign the forms with a shaky signature. They promised it wouldn’t be more than an hour- two tops. He would come back, right as rain.

I sobbed as they wheeled his little bed away from me.

Five hours later, I awoke from a nap to my husband standing in the room, questioning where he was. I didn’t know, they took him away this morning and I hadn’t seen him since. He walked to the nursery to question the nurses where they explained that he had bled “just a little more” than they were comfortable with, so they kept him a little longer just to make sure.

“You’re lucky!” The nurse laughed at my husband. “Most babies are way too small and the doctors have a lot of trouble getting the whole thing off. You have a big boy!”

For days, my son slept. Not the sweet, peaceful sleep of a newborn, but a fitful, obviously painful sleep. When he awoke, he screamed in pain, unable to be soothed, unwilling to nurse or cuddled closely. He screamed when he urinated or defecated; he was only happy when his diaper was off, but so long as his penis went untouched. I lived in fear of diaper changes. I wanted nothing more than to just leave him be; no diaper, no pulling his penis to ensure the foreskin wouldn’t grow back, no Vaseline on the base. Just freedom from pain is all I wanted for him. We both sobbed during those moments, his diapers always speckled with blood and his face always tear stained.

The healing process never seemed to end. As he got older, the bleeding stopped, but the wound never healed. At first, his pediatrician told us to continue to just put the Vaseline on it, continuing to treat it like we always had. It wasn’t until six months of questioning did she inspect a little better and found that, while the doctors considered him a “big” boy and claimed to have no trouble with his circumcision, they actually snipped too much off. Now, he will have a permanent scar about a half of an inch long at the tip of his penis. When it will become a scar, I have no idea (as of right now, it’s still an open wound, 14 months later.) We’re still required to keep Vaseline on it several times a week. We find blood occasionally on diapers and hear him screaming at the first sign of a dirty diaper. He runs away after his diaper comes off and holds himself sobbing. During those nights when his cut reopens, he and I both lay awake at night crying, wishing for an end.

We should have allowed him that choice, we should have waited. If we had, he wouldn’t be in pain several times a month... he would be whole with no pain, as he should be. I don’t know if this has changed my husband’s view on circumcision, and I don’t blame him for this. I blame myself for saying yes; I blame myself for signing those forms; I blame myself completely, and I will fight for tomorrow’s sons- whether they are my own, my nephews, or a stranger's. No boy should have to go through this pain, not for his parents peace of mind.

The above image is full of real moms and real comments. Why is this happening? Why are moms going "against their guts" when, if they only knew, circumcision is completely unnecessary (and also dangerous?)

We decided to ask thousands of moms, "Are you a mom who reluctantly had your son(s) circumcised? Did you go against your heart, or were you pressured into it?"

Just a mere sample of the responses:

• Jennifer writes, "I had my son circumcised, even though after I had him I felt like it was wrong. Every time I thought about it I would cry, but I went through with it anyway because I felt like it was something I had to do."
• Bianca writes, "When [my son] was cut, we didn't know there was anything wrong with circumcision because no one ever said anything about it to us."
• Kim writes, "I did. I wish that I had known the procedure as well and all the functions of the foreskin. I could go on and on but I try to tell all I see and hope they will listen."
• Kellinjoe writes, "[I wish someone would have told me] literally that it just did not HAVE to be done, that half the boys his age were not cut, that would have made all the difference at first. Then knowing first hand as a woman what it does to sex...well that lead me to intactivism (and a broken heart) and all the other stuff just floored me. I hate how little I knew then and how little the people advising me knew."
• Samantha writes, "My sister's boyfriend convinced her to do it since he and the older two were cut he didn't want the new baby to feel like he was different. She regrets it now because they did it wrong and he will have to have it fixed when he gets older they said."
• Brandi writes, "I only wish I had been told that I didn't have to do it, and foreskin is NOT just skin. That it would HURT my baby. If that nurse had just said "It's really not necessary" I'm sure I would have at least thought about it before I handed my child over :*( I will never forgive myself..."
• Christine writes, "I wish my mom hadn't lied to me, it IS more than "just a little snip." I wish my midwives weren't so "hands off" and out of my business and said something, I wish someone had made me watch a video of it being done. I wish my husband didn't... think just because it was done to him that it was ok to do to his son. I wish I hadn't fought my instinct. I wish there weren't other moms there in the office with me also getting their sons cut joking around like it was no big deal. I wish the nurse there wasn't Jewish and so supportive of the cutting. I wish I hadn't focused so much on my natural birth that I didn't educate myself more about circumcision. :'(
  But, because of all of those wishes, I have a second WHOLE son. Lesson learned. Tell your friends, circumcision is more than just a cut!"
• Elizabeth writes, "I had my first at 17 and had not been told 1 SINGLE thing about circumcision. I just thought it was just what you were supposed to do, and I never once even thought about not doing it. My second son is intact, and any future son(s) will be. I wish someone had given me the facts about circumcision so I could have made the right decision."
• Crystal writes, "I wish someone had shared SOMETHING with me about circumcision, anything, especially all the bad things. No one said anything, the only thing I could get out of the doctor is that it isn't medically necessary. I wish I had stuck with my gut. I was in a complete panic when they took him to do it, I felt like I couldn't say no... it's very strange to think about. Watch a video, do your research, there ARE choices, let you SON choose."
• Tom writes, "I wish I had realized that three doctors could look you in the eye, and lie about your kid's situation, and what could be done about it. They were utterly ignorant about human anatomy. They told me he would have phimosis for the rest of his life, and just keep getting infections. That there was no hope for the situation correcting itself. Now, we know that it is normal for the foreskin not to retract at 3. It retracts in its own good time. Perhaps it is time that we fight to get the foreskin put in anatomy and physiology textbooks, so that when a circumcised doctor doesn't know the answer, he can look it up."
• Holly writes, "I objected vociferously to the circumcision of my oldest two boys, but my (now ex)-husband insisted. The truth is that I wish somebody would have talked to him. We moms talk about circumcision a lot, especially when one of us is pregnant with a little boy! But what we really need is to get the dads talking, and they tend to be silent on that. I think that he would've agreed not to circumcise if one of his (male) friends had said, "Yeah, we decided not to circumcise our little one. I just figured that it doesn't really have a purpose to circumcise him, and frankly, it can't be comfortable for the baby!" Actually, ANYTHING. I just feel like if a male friend had spoken with him about it, maybe he would've agreed not to circ."
• Birthing Haven writes, "I had my son done when I was 21. I did NOT know better. Although when the nurse came into get my son my heart screamed at me not to let him go. I ignored my heart. My advice listen to your heart and PLEASE do research on it."
• Alexia writes, "I was pressured/conned into it. And I didn't really know about it, it just felt wrong. No excuse, I am a mother and should have gone with my instinct. If I ever have another son I will announce to everyone and be proud that he will remain whole like his older brother should have been.
  I would listen with sympathy to another mom and tell them I was there once. I was stupid to listen to other peoples opinions. I would tell [another mom] to follow her heart!"

Brooke, mother to two boys, circumcised her first son and kept her second son whole. She wrote a story of how she was guilted into circumcising her first son, and how the circumcision quickly turned downhill. Here is an excerpt from her story:
   
"...His father was all for circumcision but I put up such a huge fight he just let me have my way. My dad wanted him to be circumcised as well but I just ignored him the best I could. At the time of Lance's birth there was quite a lot going on in my life. My grandmother was dying from brain cancer. She passed away five days after Lance was born. I was extremely close to her and like to think of her as a second mother to me. She was home on hospice and we took care of her 24/7. So I was beyond stressed at the time.

The day after Lance was born someone said something so very hurtful it made me question keeping him intact. After he left I cried for hours. It hurt my heart. After my Grandmother passed we had to travel for her funeral and while we were out of town I decided I couldn't risk my son hating me so I was getting him circumcised when I got home.

I called and made the appointment, and my aunt and I took him to get circumcised.We got there what I remember to be about 11 in the morning, we waited a few minutes and then a nurse called us back. She took Lance from me and told me to go back to the waiting room and that she would be back in about twenty minutes. So we sat down and waited, and a few minutes later she came and called us back. There were two big double doors to get to the back of the office where the rooms were. As soon as she opened one of the doors I could hear Lance screaming. I was in shock.

She took us in the room and I almost hit the floor. There was my beautiful, perfect baby strapped to a board screaming so very hard he was purple, couldn't catch his breath and his hands were so tight his knuckles were white. I rubbed the only place I could, his forehead. I stroked it and told him I loved him and he would be ok. The nurse just kept saying over and over, “He's gonna be fine.” She made me feel like what I was doing was wrong, like I shouldn't be trying to console my baby.

The doctor was in the room but he didn't say anything to me, just left the room. The nurse then said she couldn't get him to stop bleeding. She asked my aunt to hold pressure while she left the room to get a Styrofoam band to wrap around his penis to try to stop the bleeding. After she applied the band she put his diaper back on and once again told us he was fine and we could leave so we did. We drove the forty-five minute drive home. When we got back into town I stopped by my mom's office where she worked as a nurse to tell her about it. She told us to go on home and she followed to look at it. When she took the diaper off Lantz it was completely and utterly full of blood. She looked at me and said, "We're going back now."

Read her entire story here.

If you're an expecting mother, or plan to have children in the future, circumcision is something that you need to research. Find support groups online and talk to other moms (or dads) who have been in your shoes. Read the studies. Find the statistics. Most importantly, listen to your gut.

If your motherly instincts tell you it's wrong, it probably is.
Research circumcision to find out why.

A list of 50 important reasons why you should leave your son's penis alone.
 
Written by: ErinKate23
(Read the original article here)
Posted with Permission from Author

I know, talking about baby penises seems like a strange choice for a blog post.  I used to think that penises came in two varieties, circumcised and uncircumcised....but education is a powerful thing.  Now, I know that they only come in one style - Natural - and we, as parents, choose to alter what God or Nature or Evolution or The Great Spaghetti Monster created. 

Why am I calling "uncircumcised" penises "natural"?  Most of the "intactivist" culture uses the word "Intact", which is also accurate, but really, an uncircumcised penis is exactly that - natural.  

Just like women without breast implants have "natural" boobs, or a person has their "natural" nose before a nose job.   It's the way nature made it - therefore, a natural penis.  Does that mean a circumcised penis is unnatural?  Yes, it does.   

I do want to note that I'm not anti-circumcision.  If an adult man wants to modify his body, that is his choice and I support it - just as I would support a woman who wanted labiaplasty, or anyone who wanted to stretch their earlobes or tattoo their body.  I am opposed to the routine circumcision of infants for non-medical reasons.

So, here are 50 reasons to leave your son's penis alone and not let a doctor cut it up.

1.) It's his.

2.) I've never met a man who wanted "less" penis when he was old enough to care.  Men tend to like their penises just the way they are.

3.) You can change your mind.  It's not possible to "un-circumcise", although there are men who have chosen to restore their foreskin later in life.  If you're not sure, don't decide at all.   It's a non-decision.  :)

4.) There is no medical reason to do it routinely. 

5.) Circumcision isn't the majority for newborns anymore.  According to theNew York Times, the infant circumcision rate is down to 32%.  That means 68% of your son's locker room will likely have natural penises.  If you circumcise, he will probably ask you why he's different from his buddies.

6.) Natural penises are easier to take care of during the diaper-changing years.  Just wipe it like a finger.  No retracting, no mess or fuss.  Compare that to having to care for an open wound in a diaper.

7.) You wouldn't cut your baby girl's genitals.  In fact, it's illegal - even a "nick" is illegal.  Male circumcision is a lot more involved than a nick!

8.) Many doctors and nurses refuse to perform the procedure because it violates the Hippocratic Oath - First, Do No Harm.

9.) It hurts.  A lot.  Really.  Don't believe me?  Watch a video.  With the sound up, please.  If you can't watch the whole thing, can you really ask your newborn to go through it?

10.) Babies can't be properly anesthetized.  An older child or adult would begiven anesthesia and strong pain medication after any kind of operation, especially one on their genitals.  Babies can't have proper pain medication.

11.) Did you know?  Infant circumcision rates are less than 10% in the following counties: England, France, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Canada, Mexico, all of South and Central America, Japan, China, Russia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Greece, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Australia and more. 

Infant circumcision rates are higher than 10% in the following countries: USA, Israel, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria, Lebanon,  Yemen, Qatar, Turkey, Jordan, Philippines, Indonesia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Republic of Congo, Eritrea, and Kenya.  

12.) Men with natural penises are less likely to experience Erectile Dysfunction as they age.  Translation - your son will be less likely to need Viagra when he's 55.

13.) Female sexual partners of men with natural penises are more likely to achieve orgasm during sexual intercourse.  They are also less likely to need lubricant.

14.) There are over 20,000 nerve endings in the foreskin.  That's more than in the female clitoris. 

15.) The foreskin protects the head of the penis.

16.) The foreskin provides lubrication during sexual intercourse.  Men with natural penises are less likely to use lubrication during sex or masturbation (hey, THAT's why my brothers were always stealing my conditioner! Mom would have saved a fortune on bathroom supplies by leaving them natural...)

17.) No major medical organization on earth recommends routine circumcision of infants.

18.) It's easy to clean when he's older.  Shower.   Besides, by the time his foreskin is retractable, (average age, 10.4 years old), you will no longer be cleaning his penis.  I hope.

19.) Circumcision does not prevent AIDS, or any other STD. Condoms do.  Having sex with one, monogamous partner and avoiding IV drug use prevents AIDS.  Why would you assume your baby's going to be a man-whore anyway?

20.) We don't chop off ears to prevent ear infections.  We don't remove baby toenails to prevent fungal infections.  We don't cut off legs anymore when a wound becomes infected.  In the very unlikely event your son does develop an infection, we have antibiotics.  

21.) Circumcision in the US began as a method to discourage masturbation, advocated by Kellogg, the cereal magnate, who also believed in the importance of daily cold enemas.  Really - true story!! He stressed that circumcision should be done without anesthesia so boys would remember the pain every time they wanted to masturbate.   How'd that work out?

22.)  Natural penises only "look funny" to you if they are unfamiliar to you.  Your son's generation will see them as normal.

23.) Women produce far more smegma than men, but we don't cut off their baby girl labia to keep things "clean."

24.) Your son will respect you for leaving the decision up to him, and for respecting his right to genital integrity.

25.) Complications of circumcision are NOT rare. Check out this thread on Babycenter.com (a mommy board, not a circumcision website) to read their stories.

26.) Most hospital circumcisions are performed by Obstetricians and Gynecologists, whose specialty is female reproduction, not male.

27.) Circumcision is not usually performed in a sterile operating room, but in a dirty nursery or a side room in hospitals without nurseries.

28.) Circumcision makes money for doctors.  A doctor who performs circumcisions makes an extra $20,000-160,000 per year on the operations.  That's why they offer circumcision at hospitals - for cash.  They'll ask you if you want your son circumcised multiple times at the hospital: they want the money.

29.) Less than 1% of intact men will ever "need" to be circumcised, just as the vast majority of women will never need a hysterectomy or mastectomy.

30.) Penile cancer causes 300 deaths a year, almost exclusively in men over the age of 70.  Infant circumcision causes over 500 deaths a yearworldwide.  Circumcision does not prevent penile cancer.

31.) Babies with natural penises are more likely to breastfeed successfully.  Infant circumcision interferes with breastfeeding and hinders breastfeeding success.  Isn't breastfeeding hard enough?

32.) Fathers don't spend time comparing penises with their sons.  If your son does notice that his penis is different from Dad's (other than size and hair), you can simply explain that Daddy had an operation when he was a baby.  My dad lost half of his ring finger in an accident, but I was never bothered by having all of my fingers.

33.) Your grandfather (or great-grandfather) probably wasn't circumcised, unless you are of Jewish or Muslim descent.  It's a relatively new thing in the USA.

34.) Most circumcised penises have scars.  If you've ever seen a circumcised penis, you have probably seen circumcision scars and didn't know what they were.  Curious?  Click here for pictures (adult eyes please, extremely graphic).

35.) When erect, natural penises don't look very different from circumcised ones (adult eyes please)

36.) Babies have died following complications of circumcision.

37.) Babies have had the glans (head) of their penis accidentally amputated during circumcision.

38.) Female circumcision was legal in the United States until 1996.  It was practiced in the USA as recently as the 1979 to prevent masturbation.

39.) Your health insurance may not cover the procedure.  Medicaid does not cover it in 16 states, and many major insurance companies also do not reimburse for the surgery, since it is cosmetic.  If your insurance doesn't cover it, it probably also does not cover any complications.

40.) Babies are strapped down on a circumstraint to have the procedure done.  That is the most unnatural, terrifying position for a baby, who previously was all curled up and safe inside Mama's body.

41.)  If you believe in evolution, why are men born with foreskins?  If you believe in God, why did he give men foreskins?  Did they screw up?

42.) If you are Christian, your religion actually *forbids* circumcision.  Your son's body is a temple, and Jesus was the sacrifice to end all sacrifices - including the foreskin.  See this link for more info.

43.) If you are Jewish, you should know that there is considerable debate about the religious necessity of circumcision.  

44.) If you do believe that your religion requires the sacrifice of the foreskin, your son can choose to sacrifice his foreskin in the name of religion when he is old enough to make the decision himself.

45.) The foreskin is fused to the head of an infant's penis, just like your fingernail is fused to your finger.  Have you ever pulled back your fingernail all the way?  Owwwwwwwwwwwww.

46.) Circumcision makes penises smaller.  Who wants a smaller penis?

47.) "My partner should make the decision, he has a penis/she looks at penises" is a dumb reason to abdicate responsibility for a decision.  You are your baby's parent, penis or not, and you have a responsibility to protect your child from harm.  Victims of FGM (aka female circumcision) are the most vocal supporters and perpetrators of the abuse.  Call on your inner Mama or Papa-bear and stand up for your baby's rights.  Make your partner watch a video with the sound on and convince YOU why they want this done to their precious child. 

48.) You have seen an uncircumcised penis, and you probably didn't even notice.  Take a look below at the (safe for kids) picture!

49.) He'll be in good company.  Check out this (in my opinion, mouth-watering) gallery of famous intact men!  From Elvis, James Dean, Will Smith, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jude Law and sooo many others.

50.) It's his.  I know, I said it already. but it's really the first and last reason - and perhaps the only one you really need.  It's his body, and unless medically necessary, it should be his choice.  You wouldn't give him a nose job without his permission, you wouldn't tattoo your infant.  This is the same thing.  If you really look at your motives, why would you want to take the risks?  Leave the decision where it belongs - in your son's hands.