News, stories, and information about making the circumcision decision for your baby. Cut through the myths and learn why foreskin is normal and healthy. Read experiences from parents just like you and become your child's No. 1 advocate!
Is it possible your child could be teased about something penis-related in the locker room? Yes. But even if such teasing were to happen to your child (research suggests it isn’t likely), it’s even less likely their foreskin would be the focus. And circumcising is no “fix” — it won’t make them any less likely to be teased, researchers say.
Read MoreYou can find social media posts like this almost daily, from parents who just had a child cut, using search terms related to “circumcision.” Most of the world does not cut the foreskins off of their babies. We must do better to protect children from harm.
Note: Because social media posts like this are common, we’ll update this blog post periodically with new screenshots.
Read MoreYou’re also going to have to know, really KNOW, that your child is not going to be a social pariah or a 40-year-old virgin because they have their foreskin. How do you know this without actually knowing it? Because you will teach your kid to love and appreciate their whole body, just as you love and appreciate your whole body. And you might worry, What culturally-conditioned foreskin-phobic American will love my child with a natural penis? The answer? The kind of person you would want to love your child: someone who isn’t afraid to go against the grain, who seeks knowledge and is open to new information, who wants to experience the pleasure that foreskin will bring, who will love every inch of your grown child’s whole body, and will want to leave your future grand-babies whole and perfect, too.
Read MoreI am not a doctor and I shouldn’t need to know this much about the human penis, but as long as children are being painfully, needlessly, and permanently injured every day, I will do what is in my power to help protect their bodies. You are not a doctor either, but you may be your child’s only advocate. Please, educate yourself so that you can protect your child from forced retraction of the foreskin.
Read MorePeople in the U.S. approaching the topic of circumcision for the first time are often looking for unbiased resources — materials that don't seem fanatical and do clearly lay out both the risks and benefits of the procedure. Armed with such resources, expectant parents believe they can make an informed choice and feel confident about it, regardless of whether they decide to leave their child intact, or opt for circumcision. There's just one issue with the seeking of unbiased sources: they don't exist. Particularly on topics deeply rooted in our cultural psyche and thus controversial, like circumcision.
Read MoreMost of the adults in the world have foreskin and are quite happy with its associated benefits. While the majority of current adult males in the United States were circumcised at birth, you can find many happily intact men in the U.S., as well.
Read MoreOne of the most difficult parts of being circumcised is the mental and emotional damage. Though it won’t be easy, you need to tell your son the truth. You need to tell him what happened to his body, you need to explain everything to him, and you need to be supportive.
Read MoreI’ll never know exactly what happened in the nursery that day. I thought that my little boys were sleeping when they came back. Now I know that they were in shock from the horrible pain I put them through. The nurse came in to show me what to look for in circumcision aftercare. The gauze was stuck to one of the boys’ bloodied penises. She pulled it off, hard, and my son started screaming. Over his cries, she shouted the aftercare instructions.
Read MoreWhile in that room, I witnessed first-hand a total of five circumcisions. Seeing how those boys reacted and changed was just heartbreaking. I knew in my heart and mind that it wasn't right, but still continued pushing my reasons for getting it done.
Read MoreIt is a surgery performed with little or no anesthesia on a helpless, restrained infant. It hurts…a lot. It takes the better part of a week to heal. It alters the appearance of the baby’s penis forever. It removes countless nerve endings and alters sexual pleasure forever. It has a complication rate. The penis cannot be returned to its original state. All of this is done without the benefit of informed consent from the recipient of the procedure. I am not comfortable that we impose this choice on our children.
Read MoreIn the fall of 2012, my wife and I were expecting our second and final child. Our first child — a daughter — was just under 2 years old. We were okay with raising a daughter because, well, we were two women. . . but a boy would be much different. We suspected this little one was a boy, so the thought of circumcision had crossed our minds, but we hadn't yet made a decision.
Read MoreI couldn't sleep that night because I knew what was coming. When they came in to take him to be circumcised, I signed the form with my heart literally aching in my chest. My newborn son was wheeled away and I began to panic. I remember sobbing and telling my husband, "I want him back. He’s perfect…”
Read MoreI watched the procedure in horror, and have never let another person make decisions for my children other than me. Everyday I think of the pain he suffered. Now I hold my perfect and intact baby boy desperately wishing I could make it all better with my oldest son.
Read MoreBut there's one topic here in America that seems to drive a wedge between husband and wife that rocks at least one of you to the core.
That wedge? Circumcision.
She's against it, but you want it done. You tell yourself that she's going to just have to get over it. Your son is getting circumcised. End of discussion. (or is it?)
Read MoreI am writing to you on behalf of my 3-year-old son. He has always been a blessing to my husband and me. Since the day we found out he was coming, we were ecstatic to be welcoming another addition to our family. He was born PERFECT on Aug. 19, 2012. The reason I am writing to you is because on Aug. 20, my perfect baby boy was taken from my hospital room, strapped down, and mutilated surgically for NO REASON at all other than the pure ignorance of our society. I was misinformed on the “benefits” of circumcision and was not fully informed of the risks of this unnecessary procedure.
Read MoreYou took too much. You didn't leave me with enough skin to cover my penile shaft. The result was that my earliest memories of experiencing erections as a child are memories of severe, prolonged pain. By the time I reached adolescence, the lack of skin caused my penis to develop a sharp bend, which I would later find would make intercourse very difficult. At some point my scrotal and pubic skin compensated for the lack of penile shaft skin. The result is that I now grow thick pubic hair all the way up to the scar you left me.
Read MoreI made a mistake, but I was also courageous enough to say “I was wrong” and do better in the future. That is a powerful lesson my children can learn from when they are old enough and the circumcision talk can be broached on a more serious level.
Read MoreHi Mom and Dad! It’s your 21-year-old son! The son you lovingly cared for as he grew out of infancy, watching him gain independence, make mature decisions, and turn into the handsome man you see when you close your eyes and picture him smiling. And finally, now, the son you are ready to let go of in a broader sense...poised to make my big transition into the adult world, where from now on I am fully the product of my own decisions.
As parents you have always wanted to protect me the very best you could: yearly physicals, six-month dental checkups, eye exams... It seems as if our culture has the general instruction manual laid out for you. One culturally taboo part of this American parenting manual, though, is flawed and outdated.
When I was born, it seemed as if you had a decision to make: whether to circumcise me or not.
Read MoreDoes your child have it? Do you know what it is? I'd never heard of it until I started learning about the harms of infant circumcision — far too late, I might add, to protect my son. Meatal stenosis is a urethral stricture disease caused by circumcision. Because its protective foreskin has been removed, the urinary meatus (pee hole) at the tip of the glans (head) of a circumcised penis can develop inflammation and scar tissue and become abnormally narrow.
Read MoreSome new parents have been surprised to find their providers currently aren’t performing circumcisions. Elective surgeries in the United States are being postponed and canceled in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic, in order to preserve personal protective equipment like masks, avoid patient infection, and ensure adequate medical personnel for responding to COVID-19 patients.
Read MoreWe believe, if you have the information necessary to see circumcision in a new light, free from cultural blinders, you will not choose it for your son. Your protective instincts will scream NO as far as the ear can hear.
Gently providing education on care of the intact penis, functions of the foreskin, and the lifelong harms of circumcision in an effort to end infant genital cutting.
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The information provided on this website is for information and research purposes. It should not be substituted for medical care. For healthcare, seek a qualified medical professional who is knowledgeable on the benefits of a whole body and intact care and who knows the harms involved in circumcision and forced retraction. Visit the Choosing a Pediatrician page for assistance in picking a doctor who is right for your family.
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