# Would you get your son's penis circumcised? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 24, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671 "2011-10-24T19:47:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/41 "2011-10-24T22:34:29Z")
> [@AngelSoft](#): > > This isn’t a normal I’m cold/hungry cry that a baby is expected to make. This is a highly intense, shrieking wail of pain that starts the moment the cutting begins. I think it’s ridiculous that we, as a culture, can be so adamantly against female circumcisions in third world countries as being barbaric and unnecessary and yet maintain that doing the same to a newborn boy is full of ‘health benefits’. Did your physician not know about that miracle of modern medicine, local anaesthetic? 😕 To my mind, it is a relatively minor issue: the procedure (in a modern hospital) is minor, the potential for adverse effects is trivially small, there are relatively minor health benefits, so the decision can go either way without making much difference. Comparing it to female circumcision is not a particularly good comparison, because while some forms of female circumcision are minor, others involve major procedures such as the removal of the clitoris - which is above all why the procedure is frowned on. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Bosstrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstrain)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/42 "2011-10-24T23:02:32Z")
> [@Troppus](#): > > **Bosstrain** , I retract my questions. _Please_ don’t bother enlightening me further with your bald shtick. Just for jolly fun, let me put it another way, in the wording my good friend ‘The Most Interesting Man In The World’, would use: _“I don’t always troll, but when I do, I prefer it to be educational”_ 😃 Relax mod peoples, this is just a humorous stab at myself for saying something stupid. It’s best in life to remember something you’ve done or said that you’re not proud of, think about what a total douche you were at the time, then laugh at it (even with something this trivial). **Troppus** , would you mind joining the rest of humanity in the grey area, there is no black and white anymore, I think that was done away with a long time ago. 🙂 Actually, I’m rather shocked that so many statements are taken so seriously, as if the person who said it will defend their position to the death and all hell will break loose because somebody :gasp: dared to state their opinion. It’s just a fracking opinion, sheesh, you’d think someone got killed. Have some wine, or Dos Equis if you prefer :D, and relax. I don’t make such statements lightly, but I don’t take them seriously either, remember the grey area always padawan. 😉 …Oh, and yes, there are many females that _aren’t_ turned off by uncircumcised, there’s also women that _are_ turned off by male genitals altogether, so there! 😛 (I don’t blame them, I have to wonder what the attraction is myself) (grey area) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/43 "2011-10-24T23:17:46Z")
I had to say, I would, because I did. I was there with him when it happened. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2011, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/44 "2011-10-24T23:22:06Z")
I don’t have a strong opinion on this issue one way or another. I can see both sides of the argument. So I would duck responsibility and foist the decision off onto my husband. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/45 "2011-10-24T23:32:20Z")
I voted no. Both of my little brothers were uncircumsized and assert they experienced zero social pressure fallout. Matter of fact both were extremely popular with the ladies, and popular generally, so it wasn’t, like, a crippling disfigurement. As to health and cleanliness…no big deal, mom, dad (and big sister!) helped teach them how to clean properly in the shower. Roll that puppy up, soap and rinse, 10-15 seconds, done. My ex was also uncut - and a doctor - and seemed neither crippled nor socially disadvantaged because of it. Had I had kids, it is highly unlikely I would have a baby boy circumcised. Mainly because I see no benefit, and it seems really weird to me. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2011, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/46 "2011-10-24T23:39:00Z")
I hope never to have a son, but I was the legal guardian of my youngest brother. I had him circumcized (with painkillers, I don’t think he made a sound). Most Roma men are. It’s a tradiation that grew out of our nomadic past and potentially nomadic future. There is always the possibly of one day having to leave one place for another. If you factor in the possibility of one day facing non-Western living conditions (i.e., no electricity or large supply of clean water), circumcizing boys is just a basic health precaution. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2011, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/47 "2011-10-24T23:47:47Z")
Have two sons, ages 3 and 8 months. Neither are circumcised, even though I am. I’m pretty “meh” about the issue. I think the advantages and disadvantages are both pretty overblown by their respective supporters. In the absence of a good reason for doing it, my opinion is, why bother? “So his looks like mine” is not a good enough reason IMO. My wife on the other hand is pretty strongly anti-circumcision, so it would have been an interesting debate had I been strongly in favor. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/48 "2011-10-24T23:55:18Z")
> [@jem\_1](#): > > Then, last week, she heard about a botched procedure in which part of an infant’s penis was cut off! Oh my goodness! Did she also see the penis damaged by cancer, which occurs at a [higher rate in uncircumcised males](http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/PenileCancer/DetailedGuide/penile-cancer-risk-factors)? What to do, what to do, when anecdotes conflict? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/49 "2011-10-25T00:00:21Z")
Re: women screaming in terror or whatever at the sight of an uncut penis… Oh, please - when I first saw naked penes and compared cut to uncut my only thought was “trust men to make such a big deal over a trivial flap of skin”. Seriously, unless a girl has been brought up to think all men sport a schlong the size of a stallion’s and it is somehow poisonous/dangerous/whatever they’re not going to get squicked over it. It’s just a penis. An unmodified penis is no more (or less) gross or disgusting than an unmodified vulva. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/50 "2011-10-25T00:11:21Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Re: women screaming in terror or whatever at the sight of an uncut penis… > > Oh, please - when I first saw naked penes and compared cut to uncut my only thought was “trust men to make such a big deal over a trivial flap of skin”. Seriously, unless a girl has been brought up to think all men sport a schlong the size of a stallion’s and it is somehow poisonous/dangerous/whatever they’re not going to get squicked over it. It’s just a penis. An unmodified penis is no more (or less) gross or disgusting than an unmodified vulva. Not only this but…you can’t tell if the penis is erect. You totally can’t. Erect, they all look and act the same. Flaccid, there’s a cute little extra turtle-neck, so minor that most people wouldn’t care - or notice - about the difference. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/51 "2011-10-25T00:16:50Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Not only this but…you can’t tell if the penis is erect. You totally can’t. Erect, they all look and act the same. > Flaccid, there’s a cute little extra turtle-neck, so minor that most people wouldn’t care - or notice - about the difference. Concur. Flaccid, there is a noticeable, though relatively minor, difference. Erect? Looks about the same to me. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/52 "2011-10-25T00:22:22Z")
Yup, already have, took pictures, blah blah. Let the rants of ‘how dare you disfigure your son on purpose!’ commence. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/53 "2011-10-25T00:22:58Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > Yup, already have, took pictures, blah blah. Let the rants of ‘how dare you disfigure your son on purpose!’ commence. I will skip the ranting in favor of having a small chuckle at the post/username combination. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/54 "2011-10-25T00:27:57Z")
🙂 He only fussed when the mohel took his clothes off and he was ‘[baby drunk](http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/11033/study-confirms-that-wine-drops-soothe-boys-during-circumcision/)’/numbed during the procedure. Babies aren’t much for being naked at that age. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/55 "2011-10-25T00:39:29Z")
Holding my five-day old son in my lap as I type: no, we didn’t, but I don’t have a strong opinion on it. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/56 "2011-10-25T00:40:43Z")
**Manda Jo**! Mazel Tov! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/57 "2011-10-25T00:47:05Z")
I voted no, and I’m a physician who used to do circumcisions on infants when the parents wanted them. I also used local anesthesia on the infants. In my opinion, there’s no good medical reason to do it prophylactically. If they develop a phimosis, it can always be done later. If you want it done for cultural or religious reasons, have at it. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/58 "2011-10-25T01:01:39Z")
There’s absolutely no reason to get it done unless medically necessary, and I didn’t want my son to be circumcised. My dad wasn’t, but I was. It was apparently “standard procedure” to do it in the 70s. My mom said they didn’t even present it as a choice, just, “We’re going to go circumcise him now.” ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/59 "2011-10-25T01:03:25Z")
I have three boys (ages 5, 2, and 1) and opted to get them circumcised. My husband’s family is Jewish, so there’s that. Then there’s the possible benefits of being easier to clean, and the [lower STD infection rate](http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/circumcision.htm). All the penises I’ve ever seen were circumcised, and I just prefer the way it looks. Put all these reasons together, and it was just enough to tip me in favor of the circs. The doctor/moyle gave them each local anesthetic (he said he’d be generous with it) and none of them were crying or acted particularly out-of-sorts afterwards. They all had the “Plastibell” thingie, which fell off somewhere between 7 and 10 days later. Personally, I don’t care much one way or the other about circumcision, and I really could have gone either way on it. For instance, if insurance hadn’t covered it, and we’d had to pay a significant amount of money to have it done, I probably would have passed. As it stands, though… I’m not unhappy with my decision. It’s fine. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/60 "2011-10-25T01:05:51Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > All the penises I’ve ever seen were circumcised, and I just prefer the way it looks. If the first part is true, how can you know the second part? 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671.md?page=4)