Below is a copy of the reply message I sent to the mother. I know you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar, and that once someone gets defensive you can forget having them listen to you. So, I honestly tried to be as polite and non-judgmental as possible. I guess I'll find out from your responses how I did. Needless to say, I never heard back from this woman. But, when faced with the choice of saving a baby, or gaining a client I will choose the baby every time. For the sake of privacy I am going to call this mother Jane. This is not her real name.
Hi Jane,
My view on circumcision is based on extensive research, as well as my religious beliefs. At the beginning of my pregnancy with my daughter, when we did not know yet that we were having a girl, I began researching circumcision. At that point, because my husband was circumcised, we expected that this was something we were going to do. I knew there were a few different types of circumcision and wanted to choose the best option for my baby. The more I read and the more videos I watch, the less comfortable I became with the idea until I could no longer justify doing this to any child. It really is true that the more you know, the more horrible it becomes. Through hours of research I learned that there is no medical organization in the world that endorses routine infant circumcision. I learned that the reasons many people use to justify circumcision are complete fallacies. Other facts, while holding small bits of truth, are severely distorted by the people presenting the research because, unfortunately, there is a lot of money to be made in circumcision. Doctors and hospitals that perform circumcisions make phenomenally huge profits on the procedure and I do not believe this is a good motivation for them to tell their patients the whole truth. One example that people like to quote is that 'uncircumcised males are ten times more likely to develop a certain form of penile cancer.' When you look further into this however you will find that A) the cancer is incredibly rare, B) it does not usually develop until very late in life (eighty years or older) and C) That ten percent that sounds so huge is the difference of a tenth of a percent. .008 to .0008. That does not seem like such good justification for surgery any more. I had, however, heard horror stories about someones "best friends-cousins-son" whose foreskin had never retracted and he needed surgery later in life. This is also VERY rare, and often misdiagnosed. Often it is the result of a parent or guardian not knowing how to care for an intact penis. Luckily, the rules for care are simple: you clean an intact penis like you would clean your pinky. Do not retract, EVER. Only clean what is seen. :) The foreskin remains intact in young boys to protect them from infection. It is not uncommon for them to remain somewhat intact until as old as 8 or even 10, which carries no risk to the child. If the foreskin does become 'too tight' they have now developed a simple steroidal cream that usually fixes everything in a few applications. No need for surgery.
Based on the Bible, I do not believe that Christians are meant to be circumcised. It is often referenced as a Jewish tradition (Jewish circumcisions are a ritual nick, not removal of the entire gland.) There are many clear objections to circumcision in the Bible as well. There are verses that describe circumcision, or any promise made through the flesh, as a shallow promise to God. And I truly believe, as the Bible says, that any promise to God must be made with your soul, not your body. The Bible also says that God created man in his image, and that he was created whole, and pronounced "Good" by God. I do not see how God would create us perfectly, then ask us to cut off a functioning and useful part of our body. I reeeally wish I could find my original list I had compiled, but unfortunately I lost it when my daughter decided to bathe our last computer. However I can provide you with a few links to get you started. Less than half of the baby boys now born in the United States are circumcised, and yet circumcision kills more babies in the country each year than SIDS or car accidents. These were my two biggest fears with bringing a newborn home, and I couldn't imagine God wanting me to do something even more dangerous to my child, when it didn't benefit him in any way.
I have many, many reasons why I believe it is an unnecessary risk to children. But I feel I have already said quite a bit and I didn't want to overwhelm you, or make you feel attacked in any way. If there is any issue at all that you have a question about, or anything that you think still justifies the procedure, please feel free to write or call and ask. I do not judge parents for the choices they make, because I know they are making these choices with their child's best interests at heart. The reason I am so passionate about this subject is because once I started posting links to the information I was finding I had quite a few mothers come to me and say that they now regretted circumcising their sons, and that it was the worst experience of their life. I have also had several male friends privately speak to me, or message me, and tell me that now that they understand what was done to them, and how it now affects them (loss of sensation, scarring, botched procedures, need for male enhancements, etc) they are angry that it was done to them and that their rights were taken away from them. I am passionate because I want to protect as many babies and their families from these feelings of regret and pain as possible. Even if you do not feel comfortable having me attend your birth, I hope this information has been helpful to you and I hope the rest of your pregnancy and your delivery go beautifully.
This is the best I was able to find
http://www.cirp.org/pages/cultural/glass2/
This site has a huge list of resources on the sidebar.
http://saving-babies.blogspot.com/2011/05/its-not-part-of-our-religion.html
This site is loaded with information.
http://circumcisiondecisionmaker.com/
Again, I wish you and your family the best of luck. If you wish to discuss anything, or would still be interested in meeting I would love to hear from you.
Best wishes!
Amber
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