Are you circumcised? Have you had your son(s) circumcised? Do you believe that circumcision carries health benefits? Do you believe it should be done for religious reasons?

Or, do you think that the human male penis evolved with a foreskin for a reason, and that it should only be cut off if there's a medical reason to do so (such as phimosis, which is when the foreskin is too tight to be retracted)? less

Other: I'm a circumcised guy and I'm neither super excited to be circumcised nor bathing in a pool of my own tears over it. That said, I totally recognize that the historical "medical reasons" for circumcision are generally BS and I've heard about the potential downsides (none of which I've experienced personally, thankfully--at least not yet), so were I to have a male kid, I almost certainly wouldn't have it done to him.

I do find it interesting that people (myself partially included) sometimes get all up in arms about parents making this decision on behalf of their child when we seem to be pretty much okay with abrogating children's autonomy (or delegating it to parents, if you want to be nicer) in just about every other situation. That's true even where those parental decisions cause permanent effects just as noticeable (if not more so) as those associated with circumcision. From nutrition to education, parents make choices every day that leave lasting marks on their children without the children's consent; even when those decisions have on-balance negative effects, the social response rarely seems to be as strong as what I've seen in response to circumcision lately. Perhaps it's the increased visibility of direct physical alteration or the cringe factor involved in the idea of cutting off part of the penis...That's not to say that the reaction here is inappropriate--I'm totally open to the possibility that this really is a severe issue that we should be up in arms about--but it IS interesting that we (generally) don't react nearly as strongly to all of the other harmful abrogations of children's autonomy that happen under the name of parental rights. less

I have three sons, ages 21 (with my ex-husband), 9, and 8 (with my current husband). When my first son was born, my ex and I discussed it at length, and decided to have him circumcised just because most babies were. I never felt quite comfortable with that decision, it just felt wrong to make a decision for him that involved pain and alteration of natural body parts. I would feel the same way about getting a baby girl's ears pierced, although circumcision is more serious than that in terms of trauma to the baby (I watched it and it was not painless).

For my two younger sons, it didn't take much discussion for my husband and I to agree that we wouldn't have them circumcised, and I have always felt good about that decision. If they want to be foreskin-less, they can choose to do something about it when they are old enough. Along with other body-modification like pierced ears and tattoos. less

Are you circumcised? Have you had your son(s) circumcised? Do you believe that circumcision carries health benefits? Do you believe it should be done for religious reasons?

Or, do you think that the human male penis evolved with a foreskin for a reason, and that it should only be cut off if there's a medical reason to do so (such as phimosis, which is when the foreskin is too tight to be retracted)? less

I guess I'm neutral. I have done my own research and personally feel that it's not necessarily always a bad thing since there are actual reasons parents choose to do it. I guess, I'll just say it's a personal choice and whatever. It's not my business what other parents choose & I can understand both sides, so I guess I just respect everyone's individual choices. I can also understand leaving it up to the person to choose, but I have seen firsthand how much extra stuff is involved in keeping an uncircumsized child "clean," especially since you tend to stop cleaning them soon after the toddler years & at those ages, it's hard to teach them how to properly clean.

Anyways, it's just whatever for me. I will make my own choices as a parent based on my own research and I encourage other parents to do the same, and educate themselves on both the pros and cons beforehand, before making the decision. less

Are you circumcised? Have you had your son(s) circumcised? Do you believe that circumcision carries health benefits? Do you believe it should be done for religious reasons?

Or, do you think that the human male penis evolved with a foreskin for a reason, and that it should only be cut off if there's a medical reason to do so (such as phimosis, which is when the foreskin is too tight to be retracted)? less