Here is a story about a divorced couple in Oregon who are fighting in court over whether their son will be allowed to keep his penile foreskin. You see, after the parents were divorced, the father became enamored of the Jewish Faith, which instructs that all males must have their genitals mutilated in a religious ritual known as "circumcision". The problem is that neither the son, nor the mother, wish that this should occur. Oregon courts have so-far sided with the father, who has full custody of the 12 year-old minor, writing that, "The primary custodial parent is the one that makes the decisions about religion and education and about matters of child-rearing", to which one Oregon-area lawyer responded, "You're talking about not just religious instruction or whether you're going to send the child to parochial school or public school. This is a matter of permanent change of bodily structure. And it's irreversible."
Yeah. I think the kid needs a lawyer.
Will the courts up-hold a ruling that says a parent has the legal right to force his child to have what amounts to cosmetic surgery? Please tell me how that is different than a father forcing his daughter to have a boob-job or lipo-suction. At least both of those surgeries are reversible.
Circumcision is an absurd practice that should be removed from our cultural pallette. It is not ethical to permanently disfigure a child who has no say in the matter. Nor is it ethical to perform surgery on a baby WITHOUT ANAESTHESIA.
"But I don't want him to be different!", I have heard parents say. Well, the trend towards not circumcizing is growing. Let your kid be part of a progressive future. Besides, he can always have it done if he so elects (right!!).
In other parts of the world, women are subjected to horrible, brutal surgical procedures on their genitals for religious reasons, and WE, in all our rightiousness, declare that this is deplorable!
Let's fix the problems in our own back yard before we criticize anyone else.
Here is an organization of Physicians dedicated to eradicating the practice of circumcision.
Here is their statement concerning the claim that circumcision reduces the spread of HIV.
If you are reading this, Mom or Dad, I forgive you.
2 comments:
funny - I was just talking to my doctor friend about the pros/cons of circumcision yesterday. She said that they do use a numbing agent and it is really effective, the infants that she has circumsized may or may not cry. Maybe in a briss, they don't use numbing agents??? She also said that circumcision helps to minimize risks of spreading STDs. She also mentioned some rare thing where the foreskin flap gets stuck in an upward or downward position that circumcision obviously avoids. This kid is 12....doesn't he get to call the shots regarding his own penis yet? My doc friend brings up some good points, but I'm still pissed - WHERE'S MY FORESKIN!!!
Its my understanding that numbing agents aren't always used. And research regarding spreading stds is marginal, and controversial. besides, there are beter ways to control the spread of diseases.
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