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 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 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 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 MoreMyth #1: You need to pull it back to clean. The idea that parents should be attempting to pull back the foreskins of their children is a dangerously pervasive myth. Why? The foreskin of a child’s penis is typically fused to the head of their penis by a protective membrane (you can think of it as the penile version of a hymen). This membrane doesn’t dissolve until an average age of 10 years. Trying to pull the foreskin back before the membrane is gone can result in pain and trauma, bleeding, scarring, and sometimes paraphimosis, a medical emergency.
Read MoreShould I circumcise after birthing at home? You’ve spent time learning about unnecessary birth interventions like episiotomies, premature cord clamping, and immediate bathing; avoiding risks associated with these practices is high on your list for protecting your and your baby’s physical and emotional safety. Learn how circumcising fits in, or doesn’t, when you’re planning your birth outside the hospital.
Read MoreOne completely avoidable obstacle that often stands in the way of new baby bliss — and feeding success in particular — is circumcision. Individual babies can react differently to the trauma of genital surgery. Many have problems in the hours, days, and even months afterward, and these problems have the potential to derail a nursing relationship.
Read MoreLet’s set the scene. You have one or more children who were circumcised before you questioned the procedure. Maybe you regret putting them through that pain and/or have started to feel badly about doing it at all. You’re jumping in feet first to learn more and arm yourself with information. Now you’re pregnant and you have to make the decision again. Suddenly, a question creeps into your inner dialog from the recesses of your mind: Won’t this child feel left out? Maybe I should circumcise this one too since it’s the ‘norm’ for our family…
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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