A while back, I wrote a hot post (A Case Against Circumcision)about a super controversial issue which CNN reports is showing up in the limelight now that a group seeking to ban circumcision of any male younger than 18 in San Francisco has succeeded in getting their measure on the November ballot. If passed, it would be illegal for a parent to choose to have a boy circumcised, and if he wanted it done, hed have to wait until he was 18 to make his own choice. Failing to follow the law would become a misdemeanor offense punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or up to one year in jail. There would be no religious exemptions period.Im flatly anti-circumcision boys or girls. As I laid out in my other post, I dontbelieve we should be imposing our own plastic surgery notions on young boys without their consent. Why? Here are some thoughts.
7 Reasons Not To Circumcise Your Baby Theres absolutely no medical reason to do so. Contrary to popular belief, circumcision does not make the penis cleaner it just crosses off one more area that needs attention in the shower. In spite of the hype to the contrary, studies show that it does not reduce the risk of STDs, bladder infections, penile cancer, or penis infections. The surgery carries risks and yes, while I have never been personally responsible for pulling a Lorena Bobbitt on a poor, defenseless baby, I have seen little boys get the ends of their penises cut off as the result of circumcision. And remember, if you give birth at a hospital that has residents, its often the intern performing the circumcision! Many swear that having foreskin helps prevent premature ejaculation and can lead to longer lovemaking. The body was made with foreskin. Are we to assume it was an accident? Most countries do not circumcise their boys. Why should we? A person should have the right to choose whether they unde! rgo a pu rely cosmetic surgery that cannot be undone. Circumcision HURTS! While some swear that babies cannot feel, I have watched them when I cut their little foreskins. And they definitely feel pain. Maybe they dont remember it, but somewhere in their little budding psyches, they might. Do we really want a childs first experience in life to be this pain?Most importantly, I believe we should be raising our children to believe that, unless they were born with a birth defect, they do not need surgery to fix what aint broken. It horrifies me to hear about Moms giving their daughters Botox or teenagers getting nose jobs and plastic boobs or pinning back a childs ears. What message are we giving our children if we do such things? Do we really want them to grow up believing that theyre not beautiful, perfect, and whole just the way God made them?Thats why I wrote my book
Whats Up Down There?. Thats why Im helping empowering young girls to grow up with a positive body image as a spokesperson for UbyKotex. Thats why I started OwningPink.com. And thats why Im writing this post, because I want to encourage all people to heal, connect, thrive, and live comfortably in their skin.If you look through the 200+ comments on A Case Against Circumcision, youll read many stories of men who were circumcised against their will when they were babies who want their foreskins back. They feel violated, as if something that is their birthright to keep was unwittingly stolen from them, and they felt so appreciative that I wrote this article. The reaction of these men in the comments section of my post was so potent that it inspired CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen to reach out to me and ask me to contact the men who commented on my post so she could interview them for this article.So believe it or not, there are a whole bunch of men out there who call themselves inactivists and want their foreskin back. Your child could wind up being one of them.
