Let’s talk about infant vs. adult circumcision, using available scientific data to openly and honestly assess the pros and cons.

Most of the details require that you just rely on plain ol’ common sense, because, like so many other areas of controversy, studies on both sides of the fence tend to be partial, dated or lacking.

One of the reasons why studies on infant circumcision are so few and far between is because just like studies on child abuse and abortion, conducting routine studies on infant circumcision is considered unethical. In J. Landers 1997 study published in The American Medical Association Journal, “Comparison of Ring Block, Dorsal Penile Nerve Block, and Topical Anesthesia for Neonatal Circumcision”, researchers found circumcision so traumatic to infants that they ended the study early rather than subject any more infants to the operation.

Which raises it’s own flurry of questions, such as: Why the eff would “loving” parents subject their newborn children to something so barbaric and traumatic when, at it’s very core, infant circumcision is considered medically unethical and medically unnecessary?

But my focus here is not to demonize circumcision (I think it does that to itself). Instead it’s to focus on the WHEN of circumcision. I’m going to address the issue as though circumcision were inevitably going to happen – through a parent taking that personal choice from their son, or out of medical necessity (which, statistics show a child is more likely to die from his infant circumcision than he is to actually ever need one out of medical necessity, btw). This is simply a guide to compare the differences between infant and adult circumcision and the risks and benefits each entails.

Complications and Safety

There is a heightened risk of choking and breathing difficulties during the procedure for infants.

During infant circumcision, heart rate increases to a dangerous level of 1.5 times the safe baseline rate. Because of, and in addition to the abnormal strain on their hearts, infants circumcised using the full extent of local anesthesia available for their age experience a heightened risk of choking and difficulty breathing. (This is based on a study conducted by R. Goldman, “The Psychological Impact Of Circumcision” through the Circumcision Resource Center in Boston.) There is little to no risk of raised heart rate, choking and breathing difficulties during the procedure for adults. There are dangerous alterations in cortisol levels in infants. In routine infant circumcision, without fail, blood cortisol levels in infants increase by 3 to 4 times the healthy amount and stay that way for up to a year after the procedure. Cortisol is known as “the stress hormone”. According to the US National Library of Medicine and Health, cortisol levels of this rate in infants WILL (not might, WILL) negatively affect learning and memory. This is according to the study, “The Effects of Infant Circumcision on Serum Cortisol and Behavior” by the Institute of Child Development and the Department of Pediatrics. While a surgery of any nature can induce stress in adults, it is unheard of to have a shock inducing cortisol flood to this degree in adult circumcision.

Infants face an extremely high risk of neurotic shock.

While the number of just how many babies go into shock is not known (we’re back to that whole pesky, mutilating babies genitals is unethical issue), based on observations from Darcia Narvaez, PhD, writing for Psychology Today, following Dr. Lander’s 1997 studies, up to 95% of infants experience neurotic shock during circumcision, and many go into actual seizures – both conditions that do not legally have to be disclosed to the parents. When shock occurs, the infant slips into a semi-comatose state in order to physically survive the extreme pain and trauma. His nervous system is literally marching towards death, and is kicking into it’s final survival mode. For the following weeks and months, to recover from the shock, the baby is placed into a biological recovery state, which includes deep depressive-state sleep – a condition that adults are often hospitalized for. Because adults have access to local anesthesia that fully blocks the pain of circumcision, shock and seizures are so rare, that there is not a single case recorded of an adult going into shock during his circumcision.

Infants will, without fail, experience psychological trauma that lasts into childhood.

A team of Canadian researchers produced new evidence that circumcision has long lasting traumatic effects. An article published in the International Medical Journal, The Lancet reported the effect of infant circumcision on pain response during subsequent routine vaccinations. The researchers tested infants at 4 months or 6 months of age. The boys who had been circumcised were without fail extremely more sensitive to pain than the uncircumcised boys, and displayed signs of detachment and aversion to touch that is commonly found in victims of abuse or molestation. The differences between circumcised and uncircumcised groups were significant regarding facial action, crying time, and assessments of pain. Adults entering circumcision as an informed choice are obviously living lives built on childhoods that did not start with a foundation of unnecessary genital mutilation and the pain, fear and growth stunting that that entails.

Infant circumcision disrupts parent-child bonding.

An article titled “The Psychological Impact of Circumcision” by R. Goldman reports that circumcision results in behavioral changes in infants and long-term psychological effects that last well into adulthood. The piece reviews the medical literature on infants’ responses to circumcision and concludes, “There is strong evidence that infant circumcision is overwhelmingly painful and traumatic.” The article notes that infants, without fail, exhibit behavioral changes after circumcision, which have been shown to disrupt the mother and father infant bond. Uncircumcised adults choosing circumcision, obviously, did not have the parent-infant bond interrupted by a festering genital wound, and the psychological damage that goes along with it.

Circumcision alters infant’s brains.

The brain of the newborn infant is particularly vulnerable to early adverse experiences, leading to abnormal development and behavior. The shifts circumcision causes in the infant brain are the same as when an infant undergoes maternal separation, sensory isolation, and exposure to extreme pain – all of which alter brain development. In medical journals, circumcision is described as a procedure with long-term neurobehavioral effects. These changes promote behavioral types characterized by increased anxiety, altered pain sensitivity, stress disorders, hyperactivity / attention deficit disorder, all leading to impaired social skills and patterns of self-destructive behavior. The clinical importance of these mechanisms lies in the prevention of early adverse experiences and effective treatment of newborn pain and stress. (Sooo, chopping up your baby’s sensitive sex organ is definitely out.) There are literally DOZENS of studies with all of the details of this undeniable fact, but a good summary can be found in Anand, K. and Scalzo’s 2000 study, “Can Adverse Neonatal Experiences Alter Brain Development and Subsequent Behavior?” Furthermore, neurologists who saw the results of post-circumcision brain alterations postulated that the data indicated that circumcision affected most intensely the portions of the victim’s brain associated with reasoning, perception and emotions. Follow up tests on infants one day, one week and one month after the surgery indicated that the children’s brains never returned to their baseline configurations. In other words, the evidence generated by this research indicated that the brain of the circumcised infant was permanently changed by the surgery. Again, clearly this is not a risk for a mature, grown man, making an informed decision that does not result in brain shifting trauma.

There are minimal measures to restore loss of blood to infants during circumcision.

If there is bleeding complications in infants (which is common when amputating a body part), it is dangerous and life threatening to address at this age. And keep in mind, it only takes 2.3 oz of blood loss to kill an infant. According to the Stanford School of Medicine, when bleeding complications arise, because of the close proximity of the urethra to the ventral surface of the penis, great care must be taken with any clamping in this area. Too aggressive measures can lead to necrosis of the fragile tissue and the creation of a urethrocutaneous fistula, or a clamp that crushes and severs the entire penis. Bleeding complications are easier in adults since significantly more blood must be lost for a fatality, and clamping a fully grown, adult penis does not entail the risk of severing the entire organ.

Infant genital wounds have a higher rate of infections than adults.

Because newborns are relatively immunocompromised, infections in infants can become serious problems. Meningitis, necrotizing fascitis, gangrene, and sepsis have all been commonly reported as complications of infected circumcision sites in infants. Furthermore, infections of any kind in infants are more serious and life threatening than with adults. In addition to a higher risk of infection, infants face a higher risk of abnormal bleeding, removal of too much skin, loss of all or part of the glans, urinary problems, and even death. Adults, with mature immune systems, do not face the life threatening and dangerous complications and risks of infection that infants do.

Infants do not have access to a full range of heavy antibiotics or other life saving measures if a complication does arise.

With adults, infection can be treated with local or parenteral antibiotics, depending on the severity of the infection. This is not as available to infants. Doctors wait until a life-threatening condition arises before considering dosing heavy antibiotics to infants, because use of antibiotics causes permanent changes in the gut flora, and infants given antibiotics start their life not only with the traumatic life threatening experience of circumcision, but also with a significantly altered and insufficient level of friendly gut flora. This is a serious concern because lack of diversity in friendly gut bacteria has been shown to contribute to a large number of diseases and complications that last well into adulthood. Adults, however, with fully mature digestive tracts, have full access to antibiotics and life saving measures should complications arise.

Infants face a high risk of surgically induced phimosis with circumcision.

In the uncircumcised newborn, phimosis (an inability to retract the foreskin) is physiologically normal. When circumcision is performed on a boy with penile web or buried penis – which is common in newborns – the circumferential edge can pull together in a purse-string fashion and result in the penis being trapped under the circumcision site, creating a secondary phimosis. Surgical correction is then required. There is zero risk of this happening in adult circumcision, as the penis is fully grown when altered.

The odds of “botched” circumcisions are dramatically higher in infants.

One reason aesthetic damage is so common is that the baby’s penis is tiny compared to the man’s. Any mishap is enlarged. According to Greene Broillet Law Firm, over 14,400 babies are seriously injured every year in botched circumcisions (and are beginning to sue their parents and doctors into adulthood!). Meanwhile, adult circumcision, being conducted on a fully grown penis, is so rare as to be unheard of.

Infants face a risk of amputation of the glans.

This is a devastating complication of circumcision that has a higher likelihood of occurring than your child has of dying of SIDs. This occurs with inappropriate placement of circumcision tools on your squirming baby thrashing for his life. The instrument designed to forcibly peel back the attached foreskin (attached in the same way your nail is attached to your finger), sometimes allows all or part of the glans into the area of compression, whereupon amputation will occur. This is not a risk for adults, as they are calmly anesthetized during the procedure (not thrashing in fear) and they have fully grown genitalia that provides full precision during the circumcision.

Infants face a higher risk of death.

A new study published in Thymos: Journal of Boyhood Studies estimates that more than 100 baby boys die from circumcision complications each year. This number does not include all the common complications that occur from anesthesia reaction, stroke, hemorrhage, and infection. Because infant circumcision is elective, all of these deaths are avoidable. Adult circumcision deaths are so unheard of, that I could not find a single example of one occurring in the last decade.

Evidence overwhelmingly shows that adult circumcision is safer, with far less complications than infant circumcision. If safety is a priority or determining factor for the circumcision you are considering forcing on your son, common sense dictates that you should wait until your son is older and his genitals have fully matured before needlessly altering them. Infant circumcision literally offers no benefits in the area of safety and complications.

Pain Management

Circumcision is far more painful to infants than to adults.

Anatomical, neurochemical, physiological and behavioral studies overwhelmingly confirm that newborn responses to pain exceed that of adults. No anesthetic currently in use for infant circumcisions is effective during the most painful parts of the procedure. Infants circumcised using the full extent of local anesthesia available for their age all experience lasting negative effects hormonal and neurologically (see details in safety and complications above.) Meanwhile, adult male circumcision is an easy, painless procedure. You can read online accounts of men who have had adult circumcisions and almost without fail, they report that there was NO pain (they are awake and talking and joking through the procedure). Peruse through the Men’s Health forum and try to find just ONE account that rivals the experience an infant has with circumcision.

Infants experience long lasting changes in pain receptors during circumcision.

In A. Taddio’s study of infant pain in, “Effect of Neonatal Circumcision on Pain Response”, the author states that “neonatal circumcision may induce long-lasting changes in infant pain behavior because of alterations in the infant’s central neural processing of painful stimuli.” He also writes that “the long-term consequences of surgery done with such meager anaesthesia are likely to include post-traumatic stress as well as pain.” In the study, it is outlined how circumcised infants have a greater fear of and response to pain than uncircumcised infants, and that the reactions of circumcised infants to pain may represent an infant analogue of a post-traumatic stress disorder triggered by his traumatic and painful event. Adults with fully matured bodies, experience literally no change or shift in their neural processing of painful stimuli.

Infants are not potty trained, and as such cannot help but urinate and defecate on their open wound.

As mentioned above in safety and complications, a circumcised child is open to infection – including a greater risk of UTI’s. This is largely because a child cannot control when they need to poop or pee. This is really just common sense. Having a sensitive internal organ that was designed by a Master Creator to be protected by a body part that is then pointlessly ripped off, and leaving the wound open to feces, urine and bacteria in the warm incubator of a dirty diaper increases the risk of infection. Meanwhile, an adult who can hold his bladder or bowels and not defecate all over his open wound does not have this problem.

Healing time is far longer for infants than it is for adults.

It makes me laugh, like literal LOL when ignorant parents say a circumcised penis is “easier to care for”. With an uncircumcised penis, you wipe what you see, and that’s it. Literally no special care. Once the foreskin retracts naturally, your son will be at an age to take care of his own manhood, thank you very much. Meanwhile, parents of circumcised boys get to mop up blood (wounds are notorious for ripping open with squirming infants), wipe liquid poo off of an open wound, and carefully apply petroleum jelly (which is HORRIBLE for sensitive infant skin) on the wound site after each diaper change (around 7 to 10 a day, btw) for upwards of 6 months. So much for circumcision making care easier. Meanwhile, recovery time is faster with adult circumcision. Barring any complications, a man can go back to his normal routine within a day or two after circumcision.

Infants cannot take follow up pain medication.

With all amputations, the patient should be given analgesics or oral narcotics afterwards. This is not an option for babies with such immature digestive tracts and systems that applying sunscreen to their skin or giving them honey can literally kill them. The “child safe” local anesthetics provided for infants does not work on their post-operative pain, especially that caused by urinating on an open wound in a diaper. Meanwhile, adult men can take pain medication for circumcision, in such heavy doses they can actually sleep through the discomfort of night time erections.

Evidence overwhelmingly shows that adult circumcision is less painful, with faster recovery time and posing no long term harm or damage, unlike infant circumcision. If pain management and overall health is a priority or determining factor for the circumcision you are considering forcing on your son, common sense dictates that you should wait until your son has reached adulthood and his genitals have fully matured before needlessly altering them. Infant circumcision literally offers no benefits in the area of pain management.

Hygiene

A circumcised penis requires more care in infants, making hygiene difficult to maintain for parents.

The circumcised penis requires more care than the natural penis during the first three years of life, according to a report in the British Journal of Urology. The clinical findings of an American pediatrician, Van Howe, R. in his study, “Variability in Penile Appearance and Penile Findings: A Prospective Study”, showed that circumcised boys were significantly more likely to have skin adhesions, trapped debris, irritated urinary opening, and inflammation of the glans (head of the penis) than were boys with a foreskin. This bears repeating: It makes me laugh, like literal LOL when ignorant parents say a circumcised penis is “easier to care for”. With an uncircumcised penis, you wipe what you see, and that’s it. Literally no special care. Once the foreskin retracts naturally, your son will be at an age to take care of his own manhood, thank you very much. Meanwhile, parents of circumcised boys get to mop up blood (wounds are notorious for ripping open with squirming infants), wipe liquid poo off of an open wound, and carefully apply petroleum jelly (which is HORRIBLE for sensitive infant skin) on the wound site after each diaper change (around 7 to 10 a day, btw) for upwards of 6 months. So much for circumcision making care easier. With an adult circumcision, the consenting man is fully capable of taking care of his own healing penis, with the aid of pain medications, self-control and being potty trained helping his recovery time.

Due to the unhygienic conditions of infant circumcision, infants face increased risk of meatitis.

Infants urinate and defecate on their open wound, and the wound is left to fester in a warm, moist, bacteria breeding playground (the diaper). When the urethral opening becomes red and inflamed, the condition is known as meatitis. This condition effect upwards of 2 out of every 10 circumcised boys. Dressing the circumcision site with an emollient (petroleum jelly or antibiotic ointment) after circumcision is a way to minimize irritation and prevent this problem, however, the most effective methods like antibiotics, are not permissible with infants (only adults) and the jelly is not healthy for infant skin. This is not a condition that is known to affect grown men, since meatitis is only caused by chronic exposure to urine and irritation associated with wearing diapers.

Parents do not have to deal with their infants smegma.

If smegma is a concern for you, know that you won’t see your sons, any more than you will see your daughters (in fact, you’ll actually see a lot of your daughters). Not till the foreskin naturally retracts (sometimes as late as pre-teen years) will parents come into contact with it, and by then, your son can clean himself. Smegma, I might add, is not bad, in fact it is good. God created it for a reason. Girls produce far more smegma than boys (smegma that parents deal with from day one), and yet they are not subjected to genital mutilation. Since smegma is not “an issue” till your son can take care of himself and can start to make his own choices, the “circumcising to decrease smegma” argument is null and void. There is no reason to expose an infant to the cruelty and risks of infant circumcision for a perceived issue that will not be relevant till years later, when your son can make his own informed decision on the matter and his penis is none of your concern.

Evidence overwhelmingly shows that infant circumcision is far less sanitary and hygienic than adult circumcision. If hygiene and smegma production is a priority or determining factor for the circumcision you are considering forcing on your son, common sense dictates that you should therefore circumcise your daughters (and to the moms), circumcise yourself. It you are not willing to mutilate your own genitals, then wait until your son is older and his genitals start producing smegma that he deals with (not you), and let him be the judge of what is more hygienic, before needlessly altering his intimate parts. Infant circumcision literally offers no benefits to parents or baby in the realm of hygiene.

UTIs

UTIs are more common in circumcised babies than in uncircumcised babies.

This is a hotly debated issue, with studies on both sides grossly inflating numbers and producing slanted results. (Just as in the abortion debate you have doctors swearing a fetus is just a blob of tissue, and other doctors swearing that the fetus has a heartbeat and is very much alive.) Just because a doctor conducts a slanted study for more sales (of abortion or genital mutilation), doesn’t mean his results are accurate when he’s got a vested interest. So let’s just use some common sense. What is the number one cause of UTIs? Medical science emphatically agrees, it is caused by bacterial infection. Since the glans (head of the penis) is delicate in circumcised infants and has not yet keratinized – formed an abnormal callous to try and self-heal the wounds – it is especially susceptible to bacterial infections. If UTIs are a serious concern for your sons health, you should NOT circumcise him as an infant / child or you are actually increasing his risk of UTIs in his childhood, when the condition is most serious. It goes without saying that the frequencies of local infections, hemorrhage and surgical trauma are infinitely higher in circumcised infants, than in adults who choose circumcision later in life.

Circumcision does not “cure” UTI’s in infants.

We mentioned above that it actually makes boys prone to infections during childhood, however it’s important to note that circumcision does not make your child immune to UTI’s at any point in his life. The fact is, more girls get UTI’s than boys, and doctors do not prescribe genital mutilation as the answer. Likewise, circumcision does not “cure” UTI’s in adults, either.

Evidence overwhelmingly shows that infant circumcision is a common cause of UTI’s and not a cure for it. If UTI’s and overall health is a priority or determining factor for the circumcision you are considering forcing on your son, then common sense dictates that you should therefore circumcise your daughters (and to the moms), circumcise yourself. It you are not willing to mutilate your own genitals for a grossly inflated “benefit” regarding UTI’s, then you should wait until your son is older and he can make his own decisions regarding his health before needlessly altering his genitals. Infant circumcision literally offers no benefits in the area of UTI’s.

Appearance

Accuracy in the surgery is much lower for babies.

Obviously, with a baby, there’s less skin, more painful thrashing, and more blood curdling screaming going on than in your average cosmetic surgery (well, until the baby goes into a coma state shock, that is). Room for error, that results in bowed penises, tight skin bridges that shorten overall growth and so on, are much higher for infants. It goes without saying that having an awake, not in shock man, who is not experiencing the height of terror with a raw, immature nervous system, accuracy is increased and accidents are decreased in adult circumcision.

Infants have an increased risk of abnormal skin bridges on the penis.

The likelihood of having abnormal skin bridges are higher in infants than in adults. During the process of circumcision, these adhesions need to be lysed in order for the foreskin to be completely removed. If adhesions are not completely removed, the circumcised edge of the foreskin may be drawn up over one section of the corona and create an asymmetric appearance. Skin bridges are areas of skin that extend from the circumcision edge back onto the glans. Because the skin is so young and new and fresh (your baby is still growing at the rapid rate that he was in the womb, and will continue to grow rapidly for the next few years), the skin tries to readhere. (Its almost like it’s supposed to be there or something.) This is a common problem in infants, because their penis is so small, it is hard to be precise. Once circumcised, because the area under the bridge is unattached, debris can collect underneath and create a problem with hygiene. This is not a risk with adults. With mature genitals, precision in the surgery eliminates risks of “botched” circumcisions and abnormal healing common with infants.

Evidence overwhelmingly shows that if you feel that a circumcised penis “looks better”, then performing the cosmetic surgery on an infant is NOT the time to do it. If appearance is a priority or determining factor for the circumcision you are considering forcing on your son, then common sense dictates that you should wait until your son is older and his penis is fully grown before working on it. Altering it now makes about as much sense as giving your daughter breast implants as a baby. Not to mention all major body altering cosmetic choices should be made by your son, and not yourself. (His thoughts on the matter may greatly differ from your own when the majority of his generation doesn’t have a partial penis like him.) Infant circumcision literally offers no benefits in the area of appearance.

(As to the, “I want my son to look like me” argument, I’m not even going to pursue this topic, because I think we all can agree that a decision to mutilate your sons genitalia so that it can match your mutilated genitalia is barbaric and cruel and groundless, and for Christians, it is a downright sin as your son is created in Gods perfect image.. not your flawed, surgically altered one.)

Sex and STDs

Circumcised infants lose all 20,000 nerve endings of the foreskin, and drastically lose sensitivity in the head of the penis.

It is an indisputably proven fact that circumcised men have far less sensitivity than uncircumcised men. The loss of sensitivity is largely due to removing 50% of the penile tissue which causes glans callousing, which continues for decades. Meanwhile, adult men who get circumcised into their adulthood retain a lot of the sensitivity of the head of the penis. While they do lose the nerve endings in the foreskin, they retain the sensitivity in the glans that hasn’t had a decade or two of abnormal callousing.

Infants will not be having sex until they are adults.

Any concerns regarding STDs and sexual pleasure are topics that do not need to be addressed until the infant is an adult. At that point, it is his decision, and not yours. If STDs are a concern (in which case, wow, what great parenting skills you must have!) then there is absolutely no reason to expose your son to the pain, the trauma and the inherent risks of infant circumcision for an issue that will not arise for decades. Adult men having sex can make their own decisions regarding sex and STD prevention.

There are more sex related health risks with infant circumcision than there are benefits.

These risks include sexual dysfunction, erection difficulties, etc. The foreskin is richly innervated with Meissner corpuscles, which are extremely sensitive to light touch (similar to the skin around your eyelashes).  Anatomically and physiologically, the skin of the penis is designed to activate the male sexual reflex mechanism, and when this is removed, it does not function properly. Degrees of dysfunction vary in individual men. But dysfunction is common, and according to the British Family Planning Association, it’s inevitable. These risks and facts apply equally to adult circumcision, the difference being, adults make an informed choice while infants have none.

Evidence overwhelmingly shows that infant and adult circumcision changes the way the penis was designed to function sexually. If sexual performance is a priority or determining factor for the circumcision you are considering forcing on your son, (which is shouldn’t be, how sick is THAT?) common sense dictates that you should wait until your son is older, and let him and his wife be the judge of what they would prefer, before you needlessly change his penis’s functions. Likewise, if he is a man-whore who has never heard of a condom, the meager protection of circumcision is still his personal choice to make. Infant circumcision literally offers no benefits to parents or infants in the realms of sex and STDs.

Personal Choice

There is no choice for infants.

A report published in the British Journal of Urology assessed the type and amount of tissue missing from the adult circumcised penis by examining adult foreskins obtained at autopsy. Investigators found that circumcision removes about one-half of the erogenous tissue on the penile shaft. The foreskin, according to the study, “The Prepuce: Specialized Mucosa of the Penis and Its Loss to Circumcision”, stated that the foreskin protects the head of the penis and is comprised of unique zones with several kinds of specialized nerves that are important to optimum sexual sensitivity. Just as the “My Body, My Choice” argument doesn’t fly for abortion, it doesn’t fly with circumcision as well. It is biologically speaking NOT your body, and as it is a wholly medically unnecessary procedure, it is NOT YOUR CHOICE. Obviously, if your son has a circumcision as an adult, he has had a choice that he can be proud of and stand by.

Lack of personal choice in infant circumcision puts the child in lifetime risk of feeling victimized.

A poll of circumcised men published in the British Journal of Urology describes adverse outcomes on men’s health and well-being in forced infant circumcisions. Findings showed wide-ranging physical, sexual, and psychological consequences. Some respondents reported prominent scarring and excessive skin loss. Sexual consequences included progressive loss of sensitivity and sexual dysfunction. Emotional distress followed the realization that they were missing a functioning part of their penis. Low self esteem, resentment, avoidance of intimacy, and depression were also noted. As the nation continues to drastically become a non-circumcising one, (at the going rate, my sons generation will see only one in ten boys circumcised), the odds of feeling victimized and experiencing psychological trauma is much higher. Grown men that choose circumcision, on the other hand, enjoy a self-assurance and confidence that they are in control and making their own choices and face no risk of psychological trauma.

Lack of choice greatly increases chances of post traumatic stress disorder.

Using case examples that are typical among his clients, a practicing psychiatrist, J. Rhinehart, in his study “Neonatal Circumcision Reconsidered”, published in the Transactional Analysis Journal,  presents clinical findings regarding the serious and sometimes disabling long-term somatic, emotional, and psychological consequences of infant circumcision in adult men. These consequences resemble complex post-traumatic stress disorder and emerge during psychotherapy focused on the resolution of perinatal and developmental trauma. Adult symptoms associated with circumcision trauma include shyness, anger, fear, powerlessness, distrust, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties, and sexual shame. Good news for victimized men circumcised by ignorant or uncaring parents: Long-term psychotherapy dealing with early trauma resolution appears to be effective in healing post traumatic stress (though it won’t remove your regret at being sexually altered against your will). Grown men, of course, are at little to no risk of post traumatic stress disorder, having chosen circumcision for themselves as a personal preference.

Infant circumcision robs children of ever knowing what “normal” is and what could have been.

The foreskin of the human penis is not an abnormality. It is not a birth defect. And it is not a throwaway part. While you can survive without it, it serves 16 unique functions, most of them of a very sexual nature. Since it is such an intimate and useful body part that does not affect you, the parent, in any way shape or form, why take that away from your son? In the study by BJU International, “Fine-Touch Pressure Thresholds in the Adult Penis,” the first extensive testing of fine touch pressure thresholds of the adult penis were recorded. A sensitivity study of the adult penis in circumcised and uncircumcised men shows that the uncircumcised penis is significantly more sensitive. Five locations on the uncircumcised penis that are routinely removed at circumcision are significantly more sensitive than the most sensitive location on the circumcised penis. In addition, the glans (head) of the circumcised penis is less sensitive to fine touch than the glans of the uncircumcised penis. Adults who choose circumcision know what they are choosing to sacrifice in their decision. They can rest assured having known “both sides of the fence” that they can live with their choice, even if they discover too late that they are unhappy with it.

Evidence overwhelmingly shows that the act of circumcision is commonly and (rightly so) perceived as an act of victimization and a violation of personal rights and choice. This is not a risk with adults, making their own choices. If respecting your childs personal choices, honoring him as an individual and granting his bodily integrity is a priority or determining factor for the circumcision you are considering forcing on your son, (and it should be), common sense dictates that you should wait until your son is older so he can make up his own mind before you needlessly alter him. Infant circumcision literally offers no personal choice to your son.

Conclusion

As babies cannot speak for themselves, they need special protection. This is a fundamental tenet of international human rights law (UNESCO 2005).  Balancing the potential “benefits” of circumcision with the definite risks is not one that parents should make, when the surgery is cosmetic in nature and medically unnecessary.

When it comes to permanently altering a sexual organ, the only person qualified to make this decision is the owner of the penis, as he is the one who is going to have to live with the results, not his parents. Your sons future wife has more of a right to the condition of your sons penis than you do. That’s true in both Christian and secular realms.

Circumcision violates the Hippocratic Oath to “First, do no harm.”

Doctors have an ethical duty to treat the patient by the most conservative means possible, but removing healthy tissue in the absence of any medical need absolutely harms the patient. There is no way around this simple fact. In the case of infant circumcision, nothing was diseased, and thus nothing justifies its removal.

Though they are babies now, and we have to make BASIC decisions for them, they will be adults, with minds and feelings of their own, and as such, permanent and major decisions are not in the realm of parental authority. You are called to protect them, love them and see that no undue harm comes their way.

When contemplating this decision for your son, be brutally honest with yourself.  What does your decision serve: Your son’s rights, or your ego?