# 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:** 4
**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, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/61 "2011-10-25T01:12:26Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > If the first part is true, how can you know the second part? šŸ˜‰ Hehe, perhaps I should have added, ā€œin personā€. Iā€™ve seen pictures of both! šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/62 "2011-10-25T01:12:59Z")
not that Iā€™m ever going to have kids, but if I did, I wouldnā€™t. and I am. itā€™s one of those things that seem soā€¦ unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/63 "2011-10-25T01:13:50Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Holding my five-day old son in my lap as I type Congratulationsā€“thatā€™s wonderful! ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/64 "2011-10-25T01:19:51Z")
I had both of my sons (11 and8) cut and if I had more Iā€™d do it again. I checked ā€œotherā€ because the medical part being (slightly) favourable was a plus but also because, maybe itā€™s a coincidence, almost all my cousins/nephews who didnā€™t get cut had to get it done later in life. Here in Peru, at least in upper / upper-middle class itā€™s still common but declining. My wife says sheā€™s prefers the cut look. Question for the ladies (maybe TMI): are blowjobs ā€œdifferentā€ if given to cut or uncut guys? ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/65 "2011-10-25T01:22:25Z")
Born in Utah in the early 60s, I canā€™t remember any non-circumcised boys in gym, but here in Japan itā€™s not the norm. My friend, who had a boy about the same time Beta-chan was born, had it done so he would look like his father. When we had our youngest, my wife asked me what I thought, and I couldnā€™t think of any good reason to whack it off, so we didnā€™t ask for it. Itā€™s the norm here not too, so the doctor didnā€™t bring it up, although they will do on request. ---
**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, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/66 "2011-10-25T01:24:50Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > Question for the ladies (maybe TMI): are blowjobs ā€œdifferentā€ if given to cut or uncut guys? No. Except when the guy is flaccid thereā€™s the brief experience of a smoother ā€œfeelā€ because thereā€™s no cut ridge. Once semi- or completely erect, no difference at all. ---
**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, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/67 "2011-10-25T01:26:34Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > Question for the ladies (maybe TMI): are blowjobs ā€œdifferentā€ if given to cut or uncut guys? I did not notice any difference, no. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/68 "2011-10-25T01:30:47Z")
No. Itā€™s not the norm in the UK and non-medical circumcision isnā€™t covered under the NHS. It just wouldnā€™t have been a consideration at all. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/69 "2011-10-25T01:44:08Z")
No, unless it was necessary for the infants life. ---
**Author:** ![surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/surrounded_by_literalists)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/70 "2011-10-25T03:02:58Z")
I had my son circumcised. My mother was a charge nurse in an ambulatory surgical center for 20 years. She was forever amazed at how many men, young and old came in to have the procedure done. All of them had reasons, medical and personal, that they felt warranted the pain and embarrasment of having it done as adults. I clearly remember my pediatrician coming into my recovery room to explain the procedure and have the consent signed. He told me that he would anesthetize, by injection, the penis before the procedure, but if I didnā€™t want my baby to have the anesthetic, the he refused to do it. He also told me that, if in the future, I had another son, and another doctor would be circumcising, that I should insist on anesthetic. He said some doctors had the impression that babies wouldnā€™t remember the pain and therefore it wasnā€™t worth the time and risk of an anestheic injection. Sadists. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/71 "2011-10-25T03:17:37Z")
> [@AngelSoft](#): > > I think itā€™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 ā€˜health benefitsā€™. Jeez. We object to female circumcisions because it often involves removing the clitoris itself, not just the clitorial hood which would be the actual equivalent of a male circumcision. If people made a practice of cutting off the baby boyā€™s glans, **then** people would be equally outraged. I voted other. If I have sons, the decision will be their fatherā€™s. I donā€™t feel strongly either way, certainly not as strongly as a man (probably) would, so I have no problems abiding by a hypothetical husbandā€™s wishes. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/72 "2011-10-25T03:18:55Z")
I voted yes for social reasons. Itā€™s something I hold no strong opinions on. Iā€™m circumcised myself. If my partner held strong opinions one way or the other Iā€™d go with his decision. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/73 "2011-10-25T03:23:38Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > I know itā€™s (or was) extremely common in the US, but is the same true for Canada? I had the impression that itā€™s much less common here. As anecdotal evidence, neither I nor my father are circumcized. (And to answer the question, I probably wouldnā€™t have it done to an eventual son, unless itā€™s medically required.) I assume so because my ex is Canadian and was presumably exposed to Canadian penises rather than American ones. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/74 "2011-10-25T03:30:22Z")
Both of my sons are circumcised. I did the research and felt the medical benefits tipped the scales towards doing so and the (largely emotion-based) counterarguments didnā€™t really resonate with me. Had the risks been greater or whatever, I could have gone the other way as I donā€™t feel exceptionally strongly about it but Iā€™ve no second thoughts about the decision I made. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/75 "2011-10-25T03:31:03Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Jeez. We object to female circumcisions because it often involves removing the clitoris itself, not just the clitorial hood which would be the actual equivalent of a male circumcision. There are several types of female circumcision. One of them only involves removing the clitoral hood. But I wager Westerners would still find that barbaric. > [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > I assume so because my ex is Canadian and was presumably exposed to Canadian penises rather than American ones. I guess Iā€™ll have to look at statistics. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/76 "2011-10-25T03:31:23Z")
Yes, for ā€œotherā€ reasons - mostly health. Also for religious reasons, to a (much) lesser extent. Iā€™ve seen more than a few adult men where I work have to get circumcised because of trouble with their foreskin. Iā€™ve never seen a man have trouble with his penis due to lack OF foreskin (Iā€™m not saying itā€™s not possible, Iā€™m just saying I havenā€™t seen it personally). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/77 "2011-10-25T03:31:41Z")
I voted no, the nebulous benefits donā€™t seem worth a surgical procedure. I think itā€™s just become a habit in American medicine. ---
**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, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/78 "2011-10-25T03:36:09Z")
For me, the ā€œbut he might have to have it done when heā€™s older and itā€™s not so easyā€ argument doesnā€™t hold a lot of water. There are a lot of medical procedures that would probably be easier if you did them on an infant than a grown adult, and yet we donā€™t do them preemptively just in case the person has some unusual medical condition in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/79 "2011-10-25T03:36:54Z")
Nope. No reason, much like piercing I think most people these days do it for cosmetic reasons, because they donā€™t want their little boy to worry about looking different. If I had a son heā€™d look just like his daddy: uncut. ---
**Author:** ![MissesA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@MissesA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissesA)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2011, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671/80 "2011-10-25T04:39:10Z")
Think about his future when hes older. Whats gonna happen when his gf sees that? I mean I freaked out when I seen one that wasnā€™t. And its not just for cosmetic reasons, they do it because they are less likely to get infections there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-get-your-sons-penis-circumcised/600671.md?page=5)