Is circumcision child abuse?

[squidfetish]

  If you cut a kid's earlobes off then you'd have a visit from Social Services fairly quickly and probably a couple of years in the pokey to follow.

I can't help thinking that if a guy wants to be circumcised then it should be a legal requirement that he wait until the age of 18 before being able to have that procedure.

I wonder how that would affect the percentage of circumcisions in among the religious....

[Davin]

I consider it child abuse.

[Crocoduck]

I think it probably is for girls but I have to say I've not made up my mind about boys.

[Whitney]

My understanding of the methods used to circumcise a baby make me think that it should count as child abuse.

It also does damage glands that could otherwise be beneficial and is completely unnecessary (assuming proper bathing is incorporated into the child's routine...and not wanting to bathe is a bad reason to cut something off).  Supposedly it also takes away some sensation for the male during sex.

It's completely safe for an adult male to have a circumcision; they are just more conscious of the pain following the procedure.

Female circumcision is tons worse because it does cause a lot of damage to the woman's ability to have a full sex life and has absolutely no health reasons behind it.

[Crow]

Yes.

[DeterminedJuliet]

I would never do it to my son, I'm also in the "don't pierce a baby's ears" camp.

It's just the principle of doing something to someone else's body without their consent. Yes, I'm responsible for my son's welfare until he's old enough to make/understand his own decisions, but I don't take that responsibility so lightly that I'm willing to alter him for cosmetic purposes.

[Crocoduck]

My understanding of the methods used to circumcise a baby make me think that it should count as child abuse.

It also does damage glands that could otherwise be beneficial and is completely unnecessary (assuming proper bathing is incorporated into the child's routine...and not wanting to bathe is a bad reason to cut something off).  Supposedly it also takes away some sensation for the male during sex.

It's completely safe for an adult male to have a circumcision; they are just more conscious of the pain following the procedure.

Female circumcision is tons worse because it does cause a lot of damage to the woman's ability to have a full sex life and has absolutely no health reasons behind it.

What Whitney said works for me

[Whitney]

The most common defense I have heard of continuing with male circumcision is that all the other boys are circumcised and so he might feel like his penis is wrong.  People who make this excuse will then go on to claim that women prefer circumcised males so it might as well be done early since they'll end up having it done anyway.

I think peer pressure is a bad reason to cut things off...the boy can be taught how to cope with being different and how to respond if asked.  Also, such an excuse is operating on the assumption that the all the other parents are using the same rational and continuing the trend  Not to mention that there is no way to guess what location a boy will live in when he is a man; the US is probably the only place that male circumcision is extremely common (other than perhaps Israel).

[Sweetdeath]

I consider it child abuse.

I do as well. You are permanantly altering their appearance in a very personal area-- without their consent.

I don't think it's necessary at all....


I also feel the same about people who pierce a child under 10's ears...   Let them.choose. It's THEIR body after all.

[Gawen]

Yup

[Asmodean]

I have heard it said that male circumcision "increases the sexual pleasure" because circumcised males "tend to be more creative" in bed.

I wonder, are they perhaps more creative because they have to be to get the same - or as close as they can - from their sex life as an uncircumsized male can by just... Having sex?

To answer the question, yes, I do consider it child abuse.

[Will]

crosses legs

This is an unnecessary medical procedure on genitalia motivated by ancient religious beliefs. I am of the opinion that this constituted child abuse, but what I can't decide is if it's sexual abuse or not.

[Sandra Craft]

I would never do it to my son, I'm also in the "don't pierce a baby's ears" camp.

It's just the principle of doing something to someone else's body without their consent. Yes, I'm responsible for my son's welfare until he's old enough to make/understand his own decisions, but I don't take that responsibility so lightly that I'm willing to alter him for cosmetic purposes.

Yeah, poking holes in kids for no good reason does seem high-handed even for a parent.

[Asmodean]

Yeah, poking holes in kids for no good reason does seem high-handed even for a parent.

...Except of course when the kid is a baby and the holes are for the roasting spit.

After all, we atheists do have a reputation to maintain 

[Sandra Craft]

Yeah, poking holes in kids for no good reason does seem high-handed even for a parent.

...Except of course when the kid is a baby and the holes are for the roasting spit.

After all, we atheists do have a reputation to maintain 

Well, that's lunch not body modification.  And of course, that's different.