What can we do? / Why is the procedure a secret? - Page 2

[SlackerDad]

Originally Posted by BlessedMommy2006

To the second part, yes I agree. Circ has a very strong psychological component. Makes me want to go give my husband a hug of appreciation for leaving our son intact, despite the fact that he (along with approximately 90% of the males in his generation and area) wasn't spared it himself.

He deserves that hug! Infinitely harder for someone like him than for someone like me (after all, my intact son and I "match"). My hat is off to such men (including my dad, although my accidental overseas birth was part of what saved me); sometimes I wonder how I would approach this issue had I not been spared the knife (but at the same time I'm of course glad I'll never know).

[BlessedMommy2006]

Originally Posted by SlackerDad

He deserves that hug! Infinitely harder for someone like him than for someone like me (after all, my intact son and I "match"). My hat is off to such men (including my dad, although my accidental overseas birth was part of what saved me); sometimes I wonder how I would approach this issue had I not been spared the knife (but at the same time I'm of course glad I'll never know).

I know of a gal whose husband is intact and whose son is also intact. I think that sometimes people assume that ALL adult men are circ'ed, because someone said to her, "Don't you want him to match Daddy?" She said, "Um, yeah."

I deeply appreciate all circ'ed men who don't circ their sons. I'm very proud of them for breaking the cycle.

[emma1325]

Originally Posted by BugMacGee

I don't know that the procedure is necessarily a secret. In our hospital, parents are welcome to watch. Most choose not to, and this says a lot to me. Like they suspect it's awful and don't want to watch something painful done to their son, but they want it done anyway.

Some parents do watch. We have a policy that they have to sit down because we've had fathers pass out. Again, this says a lot.


I have to be careful about what I say at work. It's like the procedure is protected. I am fortunate that many of the nurses and doctors I work with are vocally anti circ. Doesn't matter. It's not going away any time soon


And BTW, I have 2 little girls! IF they'd been born boys, my ex would've wanted to have them circ'ed because uncirc'ed guys "get made fun of" *eyeroll*

Somebody on here mentioned that her husband had one "locker room" experience, and he announced that the guy was "checking out his junk," or something else similarly comical. He never had a problem after that.

My husband (circumcised) is pro-foreskin and has always said the same thing...guys generally do not look at other guys in the locker room, and if they do, the other guys wonder why he was looking in the first place.

Matching the other men in the locker room is such a weak argument for circumcision.

[PuppyFluffer]

I think that circumcision is such a deep wound on every level of being. I think one of the reasons that it persists is that it is very difficult to acknowledge that you've been wounded. It's far easier to live in denial - and understandably so. Who wants to admit that their parents requested them to be harmed, that the medical community took-violently and without permission-the most sensitive part of their body. It's all so deeply sad.
I don't think parents want to wound their babies but they don't know better. That ignorance persists for many reasons but I think it bols down to two basic things. They never get access to the information or because of the deep psychological issues surrounding circumcision, they deny what information they do get. Willful ignorance is ignorance even still.

[serendipity22]

Its much easier to keep repeating a mistake than to acknowledge its a mistake.

As someone said "the circumcisions of today justify the circumcisions of yesterday."

[kxsiven]

Well, saying that circ is wrong would cause outrage, lawsuits and stuff. Not to mention it would be totally politically incorrect. I myself have gotten called all kinds of names because I am against all types of circumcisions.

Besides it's easy money - why would doctors want to give it up?

[serendipity22]

remarkable silences

This page is interesting
http://www.circumstitions.com/Silence.html

One way circumcision is perpetuated is by ignoring its existence.

[LittleBlessings]

Originally Posted by BugMacGee

I wish I knew. And it's funny, I have South Park on in the background and they are talking about circumcision right now. Cartman just said "I don't wanna be in your penis choppin' family anyway!"
.

[hakunangovi]

To address the OP's original question - I do know that sometimes a video of a circ is shown at prenatal classes. Quite a few years ago I was sitting in a tire shop waiting for my car. The only other customer was a very pregnant lady who I started to chat to about her impending birth. She told me that they had been shown a video of a circumcision being performed and "that was enough for us - it is not going to happen if we have a boy". I congratulated her for sensible attitude and gave her a few website adresses such as Nocirc, in case she needed any more info, or even as back up for their decision.