I'm sorry parents and doctors are legally allowed to mutilate an infants sex organs. It's honestly fucking disgusting, and tragic that you are one of the many victims.
In a couple decades circumcision will likely be looked back on as one of the many barbaric practices that was common in the past, and I can't wait for that day.
In the US? The same country that just overturned Roe v Wade? Yeah, somehow I have my doubts they will rid themselves of the archaic genital mutilation.
I would like to believe people in 2024 are also smart enough not to crop a dog'a ears or dock its tail or hell, breed the abominations like pugs and french bulldogs. But that is not the world we live in. The world we do live in is filled to the brim with idiots.
I realize that having it done as a newborn I'll never really know, but mutilated? As an adult iv seen and played with those flesh danglers. Listen we are all humans and beautiful, but fucking hell I'm happy with mine. They are like one of those weird deep sea critters you see on nat geo or sciencememes.
True, if I ever have a baby I'll make the argument to the mom we SHOULD give the kid the choice... but I know that as a poor adult I would never do it now. But am happy it's been done.
I hate to sound like a "Liberal" talking about Palestine, but this may be a somewhat nuanced situation.
The definition of mutilate is "inflict a violent and disfiguring injury on."
Circumcision being the forced removal of the most sensitive part of the males genitals, that literally disfigures it, I feel like saying it's mutilation is just the correct use of the word.
Disfigure means it's left worse off. It's literally more healthy and generally seen as more aesthetically pleasing. So no, that's not the correct use of the word. That's like saying cutting an umbilical cord is disfiguring lol.
No it is not considered more healthy, and being more "aesthetically pleasing" may be the general consensus among religious nuts and other men who were multilated and have trouble dealing with that reality, but it is not based in fact when assessing the topic on a global scale.
If you want to talk about healthy I hear that if you remove the penis entirely you can no longer get an STD. Maybe we should start doing that, since obviously it's more healthy.
An umbilical cord falls off naturally, it is not meant to stay with your body forever. Your foreskin however is the most sensitive part of your penis and is a permanent part of your body, so your comparison against an umbilical cord is unintelligent.
You seem a little emotional so we can't have an actual discussion, but I suggest you actually look at the studies that objectively prove it's a health benefit. You won't actually read them, but that's what the current science determines. This is like when an anti vaxer gets too emotional when you show them actual objective evidence.
I live in a country where we don't perform this procedure out of tradition/religion, or at least not in the majority. I'm only aware of it being done for specific medical pathologies such as phimosis.
Because I kind of agree with the sentiment that performing unwarranted surgeries on someone that is unable to voice his (non-)consent is an ethical problem. Even more so with excisions, which always are drastically and usually irrevocably diminishing the body.
I'm glad because I like how it looks and feels. Also, while I understand they are the exception not the rule, I have read about some men's experience with them (the father of the 7 yr old in this comment thread for example) that make them sound either unconvienent or sometimes unpleasant. Never read anything similar from someone who's been cut.
And this question isn't poised at you, but do the people who rail against it think Jewish people should stop the practice as well?
I'll still use the opportunity to voice my opinion clearly on this: Yes, forced circumcision on infants is only a very small step above the also still common practice of female genetic mutilations at birth/infancy. It does not matter what reasons you claim, only medical necessity should matter. Society should protect its infants from any religion or tradition demanding body modifications of infants.
Leave people's bodies alone until they can decide on their own what to do when there is zero proven medical benefit to doing it before without their informed consent.
The common "improved hygiene" argument is nonsensical. You know what improves hygiene? Washing, and teaching kids how to wash themselves.
Otherwise you could cut off ears using the same logic. No ears, no need to wash behind the ears.
As someone who is circumcised and chose not to circumcise their son, I'm seeing that circumcision has a lot of benefits. My son's foreskin has always been too tight and won't still fully retract at 7 years old. We have to put cream on it every night. It needs a lot more thorough washing every day or else it gets discharge all over it. The care and maintenance on an uncircumcised penis is like 1000x that of a circumcised one. I never knew any difference, so I'm not sure what the downsides of having a circumcised one is.
That's not normal. I have never had such problems. No special cleaning and cream needed. No smegma. Just pull it back and wash it like everything else.
You should seek a doctor. It sounds like a medically induced circumcision would be a good idea.
We see doctors regularly and are trying to manage the problem without circumcision. You may have had problems when you were a kid too and just don't remember it, it's fairly common.
If it needs washing, you can just spray water from the shower head into the opening.
But it's also kinda like the vagina for girls. It doesn't really need washing or special treatment unless it's infected.
In any case, messing with the penis of your son and making them feel unhygienic or like their foreskin is a problem is likely much more damaging than a little bit of smegma.