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From: charliem@shark.UUCP (Charlie Mills)
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Re: The Circumcision Decision !!!  (how about net.foreskin?)
Message-ID: <1305@shark.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 31-Mar-85 11:55:53 EST
Article-I.D.: shark.1305
Posted: Sun Mar 31 11:55:53 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 2-Apr-85 05:07:08 EST
References: <1350@decwrl.UUCP>
Reply-To: charliem@shark.UUCP (Charlie Mills)
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR
Lines: 30
Summary: 

In article <1350@decwrl.UUCP> faucher@futbal.DEC (Cathy Faucher 381-2207) writes:
...
>to it is very painful at an older age.  Many boys that
>have not had this, can develop many infections or foreskin
>to tear (normally happens as a man).  This becomes very
>painful and can result in needed the Circumcision to be
>done anyway (very painful).  My decision was to have my son
...

This is hogwash.  Ask your pediatrician.  There is no medical or health
benefit from routine circumcision of infants.  And there are lots of
reasons NOT to do it.  The operation is just as painful and traumatic
for babies as it is for older boys or men, probably more so.  Except
your baby can't do anything but scream about it, and his parents
usually aren't listening.  Circumcision is irreversible.  And contrary
to popular opinion, the foreskin does have a useful function.

The only reasons I can think of for circumcising your baby are:
religious ritual, tradition, or because you don't want his peers to
tease him because he's different.  I believe this last reason will not
be important, now that American pediatricians are recommending against
circumcision.  Circumcision will soon become the exception here, as it
is in Europe and everywhere else in the world except Israel and the
Moslem countries.  I don't understand being worried about son looking
different from father.  Son doesn't have all that hair down there
either.  Tell him he is lucky that the he didn't lose his foreskin like
his father did.

	-- Charlie Mills
...{ucbvax,decvax,uw-beaver,hplabs,ihnp4,allegra}!tektronix!shark!charliem