We had, long before the baby was born, hashed out whether we wanted to circumcise, and there were so many reasons not to do it, that I don't understand why people ever do.
First off, I consider myself to be a feminist, and as such, consent is something I'm very aware of in daily life. I believe children are an oppressed class, and this flows from my desire to understand the complex social caste system we have in The Western World (did that need to be capitalized?).
While there are necessary decisions parents have to make for the well-being of their children, many choices are made in that spirit without actually being necessary. Circumcision falls directly into that category. There is no reason to circumcise at an early age. That child probably would not, and definitely can not consent to having part of their genitals amputated at the age of zero; and what can it possibly hurt to at least wait until they can weigh in on such a big decision about their body?
Other issues come to mind as well. It's a painful procedure -often performed without anesthesia- which some think can cause life-long emotional scarring. It permanently destroys glands at the tip of the penis that help to protect it, shielding it from discomfort and keeping it more sensitive for a better (or at least gentler) sex life. In addition to the risks and possible complications from an unnecessary surgery, one needs to consider the medical myths that are cited as reasons to circumcise; that is, most (if not all, I'm not fresh on this subject like I once was) of the claims about positive health effects have been proven incorrect.
That said, I'm a little sad that my baby won't be the same as me. I'm circumcised, and I'm sure he'll have questions about why we're not the same. I do, however have options. The easiest course of action is to simply keep a very open dialogue about society, the pressures there from, and why we decided to let him choose what to do with his body. Another option is foreskin restoration, which has been a subject of interest for me lately. I won't go into the details for that, but it's well-documented online.
I want my son to grow up thinking that his body is his own to govern, and I also hope that he will feel the same about others, and accordingly accept people for who they are, and what they decide.
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