I have a friend who has 3 circ'ed sons.
Today I changed DS's diaper and she commented on his intact status and asked me if I planned on having him circ'ed later.
I said no, and that we didn't circ because it wasn't medically necessary, etc. etc. and commented on how easy and simple intact care is, etc. etc. She commented that she was sure that my choice not to circ was what my DS preferred also.
She said that she didn't even know that she had a choice NOT TO circ her sons. They never asked her if she wanted it done or not, they just said, "Time for the circumcision, sign this consent form." This particular hospital was very open about the fact that they used no anesthesia and strongly discouraged parents from watching the circumcision. She said that it was SO hard for her to see her babies come bleeding and crying. They had adhesions later on and she ended up pushing back the skin, etc. etc. She said that the idea of putting her babies through that right after birth was very hard for her, but she honestly didn't know that she had a choice.
I tried very hard to make sure to direct all the blame to the doctors and hospital involved, as she was uninformed and essentially lied to. She is a pretty good friend and I didn't want to make her feel unduly bad or guilty.
She said that it makes so much sense not to do it, if it's not necessary, but she didn't know. I said, "Well, now you know that it isn't necessary to do it if you have another son." I have a feeling that if she does have another son it won't be a hard sell to get her to leave him intact.
A couple things in particular struck me after this conversation.
1) Sometimes just telling someone that they don't HAVE TO circ, is the only thing that they really need to hear. For some people you simply don't have to go on any aggressive campaigns. The first step is letting them know that circ isn't necessary.
2) What really hit me like a load of bricks about her story is the fact that the hospital aggressively solicited surgery and offered no choice or alternatives to her. What really gets me is that hospital happened to be the preferred hospital of choice for most of my acquaintances and friends. Is there any way to give the hospital a reality warning that they need to inform parents more adequately? If they hadn't solicited the surgery and had told her that she didn't need to do it and that there were no ill consequences to not doing it, my friend's sons would most likely be intact.
I have never had any children there (my children were both homebirths) but the hospital's "automatic" circ thing really bothers me!
Today I changed DS's diaper and she commented on his intact status and asked me if I planned on having him circ'ed later.
I said no, and that we didn't circ because it wasn't medically necessary, etc. etc. and commented on how easy and simple intact care is, etc. etc. She commented that she was sure that my choice not to circ was what my DS preferred also.
She said that she didn't even know that she had a choice NOT TO circ her sons. They never asked her if she wanted it done or not, they just said, "Time for the circumcision, sign this consent form." This particular hospital was very open about the fact that they used no anesthesia and strongly discouraged parents from watching the circumcision. She said that it was SO hard for her to see her babies come bleeding and crying. They had adhesions later on and she ended up pushing back the skin, etc. etc. She said that the idea of putting her babies through that right after birth was very hard for her, but she honestly didn't know that she had a choice.
I tried very hard to make sure to direct all the blame to the doctors and hospital involved, as she was uninformed and essentially lied to. She is a pretty good friend and I didn't want to make her feel unduly bad or guilty.
She said that it makes so much sense not to do it, if it's not necessary, but she didn't know. I said, "Well, now you know that it isn't necessary to do it if you have another son." I have a feeling that if she does have another son it won't be a hard sell to get her to leave him intact.
A couple things in particular struck me after this conversation.
1) Sometimes just telling someone that they don't HAVE TO circ, is the only thing that they really need to hear. For some people you simply don't have to go on any aggressive campaigns. The first step is letting them know that circ isn't necessary.
2) What really hit me like a load of bricks about her story is the fact that the hospital aggressively solicited surgery and offered no choice or alternatives to her. What really gets me is that hospital happened to be the preferred hospital of choice for most of my acquaintances and friends. Is there any way to give the hospital a reality warning that they need to inform parents more adequately? If they hadn't solicited the surgery and had told her that she didn't need to do it and that there were no ill consequences to not doing it, my friend's sons would most likely be intact.
I have never had any children there (my children were both homebirths) but the hospital's "automatic" circ thing really bothers me!
) and they cover it with a $15 co-pay 
And you would be surprised at how many cases there are surrounding the issue. I don't think it is a waste of resources at all for some parents who circ'd out of ignorance, which may have been induced by dubious medical "facts," to sue the doctors. It brings the issue to light and may force a change in SOP for the medical profession...perhaps, at the very least, a standardized form with both "pros" and cons (I don't mean to imply that there are any pros, as I don't think there are obviously. I just mean what the doctors would otherwise present as "pros" anyway) that would be more informative and helpful to parents, so that they truly do make an informed decision
