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Are boys routinely circ'd in the us???  

post #1 of 40
12/21/08 at 4:28pm
Thread Starter 
Just a quick question out of curiosity really I guess. Do they circ all boys when born in the US regardless of religion? Is it something you have to specify that you DON'T want done??

I live in Britain and circumcision is never spoke about over here. It's just...well...not done unless for medical reason when the child is older. DS is 7.5 months and is intact, we never really even considered circ and I have never known a man who was!

Just weird how things are different in different countries/cultures.
Not sure what kind of replies I want, but any would be interesting.
post #2 of 40
12/21/08 at 4:41pm
In my area, it is assumed your son will be circed at birth. I was asked to give consent at the hospital (it was in the long list of standard check-in questions) and I had to be very diligent that they did not do it. I also have to be super diligent that no medical professional foricibly retracts him. Many doctors still think this is the correct thing to do.

I have been lucky that no one gave me grief for leaving my son whole (except DH but that is another post) and my ped is foreskin knowledgable. The ped often has medical/nursing students shadowing her, so I get to talk to them about proper foreskin care (as in DO NOT TOUCH IT!).

I never even knew people did NOT circumcise until a few years ago. It was just normal around here.
post #3 of 40
12/21/08 at 4:44pm
Hi Gabe'sMum, this is almost exactly the same thing as I posted a few weeks ago! Ha, it is so wierd a concept to us Brits I guess. I just completely couldn't get my head around it. (Probably TMI but I was completely shocked the first time I came across a circ-ed penis in a sexual situation, and didn't really know what to do with it!)

Where do you live?
post #4 of 40
12/21/08 at 5:05pm
Thread Starter 
I live in the west midlands.

Getz, I am really surprised. I think that's awful that people do not know any different...after all nature meant the foreskin to be left well alone!

It's funny how different our experiences are. Is there a reason why peds in the US routinely circ???
post #5 of 40
12/21/08 at 5:27pm
Medical Myths Benefits they assume are full time benefits of preventing from Uti's, cancers, std's , hiv, etc .

I can't comphrend the logic from it either ! Here circ'ed males 75% suffer from meatal stenosis a complication from circumcision and they need a meatomy but they rather risk that complication in hopes they will prevent a UTI!

Boys have lost their glans and have even died from circumcision or the circumcision after effects but they rather risk those complications because they think they are gonna prevent dirty disease foreskin complications.

Then also, they do it for oh daddy has the penis it was done to him he's a-okay so if he's fine we will do it cuz daddy is fine , he's the one with the equipment . I don't want him different than daddy but hey what if a dad was white , the mom was black , you get a black biracial baby like obama ya know.

My brother looks like my mother more than he ever did our bio dad!

he has brown hair and so does mom. Dad and I have both light brown hair.

Then plus mom's raising kids as single mom's their parts are all different from a boy learning how to use the potty !

Also, america has foreskin prejudice just like they did in the past when segreation was occurring .

Sadly they have the belief that foreskin is so diseased, dirty, bad, full of infection and ugly they become to have illogical fear that making them think not with very logical.

If they would realize the overseas world but sadly there are some americans who live overseas and some docs do circ over there .

So the one's that don't realize the one's who overseas who don't circumcise don't realize that no one is having later circ's as much as medically flawed doctors are having america's intact boys being later circ'ed for just a normal foreskin function!

But I think the goverment realizes it because if they did the would do a study America VS Europe, Britian, Iceland, Australia, Finland study but they know how the study will come out so they rather do their studies compared with Africa .
post #6 of 40
12/21/08 at 5:31pm
I grew up in the States. Heard of circ', but had no idea what is was, had never seen an intact guy, so I had no idea what a "foreskin" really was. When my DH explained what circ was I almost puked. NO WAY we're doing that to our son! Luckily,he agreed completely.

Yes, American doctors praticing at Army hospitals in germany perform Circ' all the time. But atleast they don't give you a hard time when you say "no".
post #7 of 40
12/21/08 at 5:51pm
I had never thought about it until I was pregnant with a boy. People assume boys are/will be circumcised, here, AFAIK. In fact, I had heard people making foreskin jokes ("wearing a turtleneck" or whatever) and just didn't get it. Circumcision, in my experience, was sort of explained like they cut off the little extra flap on the penis the same way they cut the umbilical cord - like it's routine, painless, and happens to everyone. In fact, the only reason I thought about it at all is because my mom told me she witnessed a circumcision and there was no way anyone could tell her that baby was not in pain. She said she fought my dad a lot about it, because she said there was no way in heck she was letting that happen to her kid and my dad was not agreeable. Luckily it wasn't an issue in the long term because they only had girl babies.

Now that I know more, I'm SHOCKED that this is happening and is considered barbaric to NOT do it. Thankfully I found out before my son was born, but even the homebirth midwife had asked us if we were planning to do it. It's definately the "default" here, but it's not because they automatically do it - you still have to sign something to have the "procedure" done, but most people don't think of it beyond just signing they same way they do when they sign into the hospital, if that makes sense? (ok, it doesn't make sense, but it's how it is... : )
post #8 of 40
12/21/08 at 6:17pm
Yes it is still sadly routine for the most part rates are dropping slowly down to around 54-56% circed still depending on the studies you look at.

When a boy is born in the hospital one of the first things you will hear is "we will do the circ the morning before he goes home" even woman who have not consented to it still get told this because the nurse/dr dosnt see many who dont plan to circ
post #9 of 40
12/21/08 at 6:49pm
It is such a horrible custom isn't it? Although I am American, my one American partner I kmew really well was intact (ironically it was only 15 years later I knew this when his wife and I discussed circ! All the others were European as is my husband. The funny thing is I had no idea really what circ. was or how awful it was since I didn't have much experience with a cut penis. So I knew early on it didn't need to be done nor should it be done. That makes the ignorant myths many Americans have even more frustrating to me since I know they're completely ridiculous and a symptom of an ignorant society.
post #10 of 40
12/21/08 at 7:54pm
whenever i hear people yap about the benefits of circ i point out that we are really the only country that circs like that other countries leave their boys intact... and then they say that the US is way ahead of other countries medically.. those countries will catch up eventually sometimes i wonder about people.

severely deluded party of one?
post #11 of 40
12/21/08 at 8:29pm
It's so common here that you recieve a bill from the ultrasound tech if you find out you're expecting a boy to pre-pay for the circ. If you don't find out either way, you get the bill just in case & if your baby turns out to be a girl, you're refunded the amount you pre-paid.

I started getting actual bills in the mail around 28 weeks last time I was pregnant, I called & was told to nevermind them, but I kept getting them & even got a letter saying if I didn't pay my "past due" amount for the pre-payment of the circ, they'd deal with me on a cash only basis in the future. I had to jump through hoops to stop getting bills.

So locally, it's common & really expected.
post #12 of 40
12/21/08 at 8:32pm
I had to ask about that too when I was new here. I mean, for us in Scandinavia is just a "way out there" thought. It's never even concidered or talked about here, or done. If not for medical purposes when the kid is older. It's just not an issue.
post #13 of 40
12/21/08 at 8:56pm
It is so common here that I once had a guy tell me how anyone who didn't circ. their son was "a bad mother". Of course I let him know that I believed it to be the other way around and his sister (my friend) jumped in and saved him from my wrath. She of course ended up circumcising her son when she had him a few years later .
post #14 of 40
12/21/08 at 9:02pm
Well hospitals can't circ a baby without parental consent. On the other hand in many many areas of the US circ is considered the default.
post #15 of 40
12/21/08 at 9:16pm
There have been mistakes made and a boy was circed who wasnt supposed to be it happened last year actually. On avg. it seems to happen once a year or so.

At least one mama has posted here about them coming to get her ds to be circed after she had told them repeatedly that she didnt want him circed. They hadnt even looked at the paperwork they where just rounding up all the boys at the same time
post #16 of 40
12/21/08 at 9:17pm
It depends where you live, what type of health services you use, and the insurance you have. It's not really routine anymore, with the current rates being half/half. Some hospitals don't even ask anymore and many insurance companies have dropped circumcision from coverage. If they do ask, you have to sign a consent form, but rarely does any one pressure you to do it from the medical staff. And the whole accidental circumcision thing is overblown. It can happen but its very rare because most hospitals have become very sensitive to lawsuits. So, rarely is the paperwork not checked. The problem is that because most hospitals bring up the subject merely through asking, many parents just say ok. without ever looking into it. It can bet you the rates would drop much quicker if hospitals would simply stop asking. But its easy money, so there is a little pressure for health institutions not to solicit the surgery.

When it comes to other people, well I am intact and I never heard a single comment about it, and I have seen intact guys. So, circumcision is not as default as you may think.
post #17 of 40
12/21/08 at 9:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arduinna View Post
Well hospitals can't circ a baby without parental consent. On the other hand in many many areas of the US circ is considered the default.
i find this so odd. i see that it is the default.. and yet i don't get it yk? all baby boys are born with a foreskin... leaving it that way should be the default... not doing anything... and yet.. its not. it's odd not to do something.. like you are choosing something strange and extreme by not circing. i feel this way about vax too.. i mean obvious that is a more complicated issue.. but i do think it it is interesting that people who don't do it are asked if they have done their research.. not the other way around.
post #18 of 40
12/21/08 at 9:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MCatLvrMom2A&X View Post
There have been mistakes made and a boy was circed who wasnt supposed to be it happened last year actually. On avg. it seems to happen once a year or so.

At least one mama has posted here about them coming to get her ds to be circed after she had told them repeatedly that she didnt want him circed. They hadnt even looked at the paperwork they where just rounding up all the boys at the same time
wow. i would have flipping lost it. seriously... they would not have known what hit them. that is completely outrageous.
post #19 of 40
12/21/08 at 10:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arduinna View Post
Well hospitals can't circ a baby without parental consent. On the other hand in many many areas of the US circ is considered the default.
and if you sign their general consent form...guess what you gave them. so you have to be for dang sure you make it known youre not having your baby have surgery. i just love how theres people, even doctors who will absolutely freak if you mention female circ even if its just inner labial removal and thats it and completely think male circ is great and theres something wrong with you and youre horrible if its not done. :

anyway, yeah its considered normal and most places, sometimes strange or sick if you DONT. i thank god had my older in a hospital where they asked if i wanted it done, i said nope, they were cool with it, but then my mom told them i was paying for it cause she wasnt and asked when it was being done and i said it wasnt and she about had a fit..but whatever. now i have 2 (and am pregnant with most likely boy#3) and theyre all intact and staying that way! their dad thinks im strange too and most friends, but well, i saw the "informed consent" thing they gave my friend with her son and its a bunch of bs! her kids the one who ended up with weird scarring and his penis being shaped kinds oddly now and NO it wasnt like that when he was born, i was there and stuff..and yet she still has these comments about mine not being cut
post #20 of 40
12/22/08 at 1:02am
Yes, you really have to specify you DON'T want your child circ'd here in the States. Sad but true.
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Mothering › Forums › Health › The Case Against Circumcision › Are boys routinely circ'd in the us???