This site is meant to inform parents about circumcision and foreskin; it strives to be as succinct as possible so that parents can quickly learn the core decision-making facts and not get bogged down in side-issues or walls of text. It is designed to be brief but to maintain accuracy and thoroughness.
If you come from a circumcising society like mine, likely almost everything you’ve likely heard over your life about circumcision is a myth or simply totally false. This might be a startling fact to hear. It’s like this because we don’t talk about it very much and when we do, discourse is usually dominated by anecdotes biased by cultural myths and prejudices. The information we get from official sources is filtered through medical organizations (like the AAP) and popular media, resulting in our distorted view of circumcision as harmless, healthier, hygienic and ultimately more ‘civilized’.
All you really need to know about circumcision can be found in the FAQ. Its tone sounds edgy but it’s completely serious: all the answers in it are totally true, and there is really no reason to circumcise a child. Quite the reverse, actually. Ask yourself, if you knew that circumcising your infant’s penis is of no medical or hygienic benefit, what reason is there left for you to want it? The only answer is simply cultural conformity. It’s what’s normal, what you’re used to seeing, and people assume it’s better–and you want your boy to have what’s normal and best, right? Except conformity is a terrible reason to do surgery that your child doesn’t need, and removes half the skin of his penis, which also happens to be the most erogenous zone on the male body (far more erogenous than what’s left). It’s not easy to overcome long-held attitudes and start to think differently, especially when we have so many emotional experiences associated with penises and foreskin (or lack thereof).
You simply shouldn’t do surgery that doesn’t need to be done. This is especially true when it harms him. In the USA, the circumcision rate is roughly 50% for newborns, so your child will be OK if he’s left intact. He will especially be fine if you explain to him the value of a whole penis and to appreciate what he has. There is no harm in leaving him intact; there is definite harm in cutting off part of his penis. Leave him alone and he’ll one day be happy you did.
If you are a parent and are afraid of what might happen if you don’t do what your family or society expects, and want to protect your child from circumcision, you will first have to make sure you’ve grown up. A competent adult must be able to defend his/her beliefs and decisions. In this case, simply choosing to protect your child from needless harm shouldn’t be too difficult to justify. Your number one priority and most basic and primal instinct is to protect your child from any and all harm. No one else will do this for you. You should not let social pressure crush your most basic need and desire. If you cannot muster up the courage to stand up for something so basic and vital as this, how can you ever expect to stand up for anything else meaningfully in your life? If you have any courage at all, it’s shown by your willingness to defend your children, all by yourself, when no one else will help. Do not let anything stand in the way of expressing your most basic protective instincts. To allow your emotions to be suppressed so easily by others will drown you in a lifetime of intimidation.
Cutting to the Chase 
