The medical benefits of circumcision are vastly over stated. Most men aren’t and are fine. Yes, if you cut off the foreskin, you won’t get cancer of the foreskin, which is what Jane refers to.

There are risks to getting circumcised, too. I once shared an apartment with a torts attorney who told me every year there are malpractice suits over botched circumcisions which leave the infants mutilated for life. Also, circumcision is attributed to bending of the penis, which is why, when erect, some dicks look like this “?” and not this “!”. That can be a problem, or so I’m told.

On top of that, these babies are getting a significant piece of flesh cut off, and they’re usually not given anaesthesia. It’s an absolutely barbaric practice, and it’s done simply because the child lacks the ability to yell, “Get the fuck away from me with that knife!” Because the child can’t articulate his pain, our society dismisses, though it’s obvious. Hey junior, you’re barely out of the womb, and one of your first experiences will be getting exposed to some serious, unnecessary pain. And we wonder why men are such assholes.

When I wrote I wouldn’t circumcise a son of mine, it was also about respecting his personal boundaries. If the kid’s got a perfectly good penis (which is a funny phrase to type), why take a knife to it? Like I said, if the kid got older and decided he wanted circumcision, that would be fine. But it would be his decision, not mine.

I was pigeon toed when I was born and the drs had some contraption they wanted to put me in as well, but my mom wouldn’t do it.

My wife made a pretty convincing case this morning about vaccine-no and circumcision-yes. Of course I don’t pretend to be well informed on the vaccine-no position and never seriously looked into it the way she did.

Love the little Persephone too. I call her the new PJ.

When my daughter was born we lived in a small village in the 3rd world and I watched how the vaccinations where handled and began to worry about the viability and safety issue.

This was not an easy decision and we didn’t make it intending to become rabid enthusiasts.

I guess what turned the tide for us was when she was born she had a slight outward turn in her hip, when we went to the Doctors they proposed a vintage torture type machine with a metal rod holding her lower torso in position. At that point in time I knew that we could figure out something better and we did.

This is the part of being a parent that is so hard, making decisions that you think are in the best interest of your own child and situation.

PS

My daughter is 18 if anyone cares to know

Make sure you thank everyone you know who accepts the risks and vaccinates their children. As I’m sure you’re aware, your child(ren) is/are pretty safe from several deadly childhood diseases because of the rest of us who take on the risk of vaccinations.

You’re welcome.