The Circumcision Decision: To Cut or Not to Cut!

When you decide to bring a new life in the world and add a new member to your family, you need to be prepared to face all the challenges and cater to all the responsibilities towards your child as a successful and loving parent. Parenthood is the toughest job that needs to be handled in such a way that it does not hamper you and your little one’s life at any cost.

When you give birth to a new life you are totally engaged in his upbringing, his basic health, his nourishment and all such things to develop you little baby in to a well grown and healthy young man. Meanwhile you even need to take into consideration all the traditional and family values that are necessary for your child’s family engrossment.

The circumcision decision is one of the ongoing on fire issues in America, the hottest issue that has challenged parenthood altogether. In the last fifteen to twenty years several groups have opposed infant circumcision that has taken a hop all over the country, these group have indulged in parent education and have also challenged the religious and medical institutes against this act. These adult groups and concerned people have gone to the extent of suing the doctors for imposing damage and harm to a newborn. It has also urged some health insurance companies that justify the circumcision as medically necessary to delete it in their books.

Circumcision means surgical removal of the upper layer of the skin that covers the tips of the penis. This procedure is very common in many countries all over the world, along with The United States and Canada. To decide whether it is a right thing for your son is very challenging as it has its own advantages and disadvantages. For some families it a religious ritual that has been carried on in their family for generations, for some it can be a matter of personal hygiene and for some it just seems to be an unnecessary act. The American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) came out with a policy in 1999 stating that circumcision isn’t a strong benefit to be recommended for the newborns but today it has left the decision solely on the parents.

Circumcision helps to maintain hygiene as it is easier to wash the penis but it is also true that cleanliness can be maintained with an uncircumcised penis too. It is also said that due to circumcision the risk of urinary nerve tract infection is decreased, usually this infection is lesser in the first year and  could be seen 10 times more in uncircumcised babies, this infection, if severe, can lead to further kidney problems later in life. Although you might have seldom come across a case of penile cancer, it is seen rarely in circumcised men. There are also lesser chances of sexually transmitted infections or diseases due to circumcision, including the very infectious HIV (although these statements have never been proven clinically).

Similarly there are a few drawbacks of circumcision too, during the process of circumcision there are possibilities of the baby suffering from surgical problems like infection or excessive amount of bleeding, the prepuce may get cut too long or too short or may even fail. If the circumcision is not performed in a proper manner it is possible that remaining foreskin remains attached to the lower portion of the penis, this may again require a minor surgery to rectify it.  It should also be noted that the foreskin contains about 80% of the total sensory nerve ending in the penis, and it removal with greatly affect the child's sexual enjoyment in adulthood.  He may also find that he suffers an increased risk in penis injury throughout  his life, along with the detrimental effects of being circumcised in front of classmates in school who are not due to the drop in the practices popularity.