I am so livid at this article

[A&A]

http://www.sltrib.com/News/ci_11757037


It's talking about how Utah is putting boys at "risk" by not funding circ through Medicaid.

Fortunately most of the reader comments are anti-circ, though.

[Lisa1970]

I think it is awful. I circumcize, but I do not think there is a big difference. There is risk with the procedure and not with it. It is up to the parent to decide which risk is bigger. For me, it is not even about risk but rather about dh and cultural stuff within the family and religion. That is it. I am sooo sick and tired of the media trying to "try and hang" parents over every single parenting decision out there.

(btw, I am just now starting to look in to maybe not circ. this next one, but am mostly concerned that everyone else has been in our family so it might make the baby feel like odd one out, but maybe baby will be a girl and I won't have to decide)

[Contented73]

Originally Posted by Lisa1970

I think it is awful. I circumcize, but I do not think there is a big difference. There is risk with the procedure and not with it. It is up to the parent to decide which risk is bigger. For me, it is not even about risk but rather about dh and cultural stuff within the family and religion. That is it. I am sooo sick and tired of the media trying to "try and hang" parents over every single parenting decision out there.

(btw, I am just now starting to look in to maybe not circ. this next one, but am mostly concerned that everyone else has been in our family so it might make the baby feel like odd one out, but maybe baby will be a girl and I won't have to decide)

You are going to barraged by people telling you (rightly so) not to circ, so I will spare you. However, I will ask you this: imagine you had been circed as a baby due to the culture you were born into. Do you think your own daughter would also want to be circumcised so that she matched the rest of the family?

Of course she wouldn't. Our sons are no different. They want their whole body, and don't give a darn who else has or hasn't been circumcised in their families.

[paquerette]

Originally Posted by Lisa1970

There is risk with the procedure and not with it. It is up to the parent to decide which risk is bigger.

Not true. There is no risk in leaving a child intact. What risk do you perceive that there is?

[Contrariety]

I'm actually pretty excited to see how pro-intact the comments are on the article. Granted, the Trib is a somewhat more liberally read paper than others in the area, but , anyway!

The same paper in Utah County where I live would be the complete opposite, I'm sure.

[Fellow Traveler]

Originally Posted by Lisa1970

I think it is awful. I circumcize, but I do not think there is a big difference. There is risk with the procedure and not with it. It is up to the parent to decide which risk is bigger. For me, it is not even about risk but rather about dh and cultural stuff within the family and religion. That is it. I am sooo sick and tired of the media trying to "try and hang" parents over every single parenting decision out there.

(btw, I am just now starting to look in to maybe not circ. this next one, but am mostly concerned that everyone else has been in our family so it might make the baby feel like odd one out, but maybe baby will be a girl and I won't have to decide)

Lisa, I like much of this comment, except the part where you say you circumcised your son, be prepared to get a rightful earful (or screenful as it were). But I want to say I am glad you've started to consider not doing it and I hope you don't get sacared off. We are very strong in our conviction, sometimes it's a detriment, but it's usually good. So what ever might come please continue to read and perhaps participate. We are happy to answer any concerns you would have about a future son. You should know there are many parents here who circumcised one or more sons before they really dug into this. The thing is that in their experience there is little or no notice between brothers, it's just another unfounded concern. Anyhow, welcome to CAC please read things with a thick skin and consider carefully the thoughts beyond the words.

[Yulia_R]

Lisa1970, welcome to The Case Against Circ. I hope you stick around.
I went ahead and PM'd you a couple of good links, I hope you don't mind.

yulia.

[A&A]

Originally Posted by Contrariety

I'm actually pretty excited to see how pro-intact the comments are on the article. Granted, the Trib is a somewhat more liberally read paper than others in the area, but , anyway!

Yeah, that made me happy, too. (But the article still makes me mad!)

[perspective]

Originally Posted by Lisa1970

I think it is awful. I circumcize, but I do not think there is a big difference. There is risk with the procedure and not with it. It is up to the parent to decide which risk is bigger. For me, it is not even about risk but rather about dh and cultural stuff within the family and religion. That is it. I am sooo sick and tired of the media trying to "try and hang" parents over every single parenting decision out there.

(btw, I am just now starting to look in to maybe not circ. this next one, but am mostly concerned that everyone else has been in our family so it might make the baby feel like odd one out, but maybe baby will be a girl and I won't have to decide)

Well I can tell you that he wont feel odd in the family. I was born a twin, and I was circumcised, and my brother was not. We grew up together and I never even realized it. Our faces were different, our hair was different, why would it be surprising if our penises did not look different as well?

Generally (unless your family are nudists) your not going to be walking around naked together. Trust me from a guy who grew up in a house hold of "mixed penises" there is nothing for you to worry about.

And to your first comments, I think you forget what this baby may want. There are many men out there, (international organizations actually) that wished they were not circed. There is even a guy who comfortably lives of a device which he sells to men who wish to restore their foreskins. (Although its hardly restoration, its very different then the real thing)

So for you it may not be a "bog deal" but for many guys it can be. And is their any good reason to risk throwing a future son into a situation like that?

[Jeff B]

A&A, was the article published in the print edition of the Salt Lake Tribune or just on the web?

[A&A]

Originally Posted by Jeff B

A&A, was the article published in the print edition of the Salt Lake Tribune or just on the web?

Most of what is printed on the web is printed in the paper, as well, so I'm assuming that's the case. But I don't know for sure because I just read the online edition.

[Fi.]

so it might make the baby feel like odd one out,

Unless your family's Sunday afternoon hobby is to have all of the men sitting in a circle, penises out, having a genital staring contest I'm going to assure you that your baby is not going to notice or care.

If he notices at a young age (say 5 or under) you can just tell him that "everybody's different" and when he's at a more apprioriate age you explain that when your older one(s) were born doctors thought the procedure was good, but by the time he was born they learned that it wasn't.

The procedure stopped rather abruptly in England and parts of Canada so we had an entire generation of cut dads and older brothers and intact younger kids. No one suffered any severe psychological reprocussions. And if for some odd reason, when he's an adult, if he still wants his penis to look like dads or older brothers (which uh, I doubt will happen) he can have it done.