For the Mamas with regrets....I keep fighting to inform.

Sometimes as an advocate for bodily integrity I get discouraged. I feel like I'm helping no one and instead being called an 'extremeist' or 'militant' when I just want to help save other Mama's from the regret that SOO many Mamas have. I have regrets, luckily not circumcision regrets but other ones. In just the short time that I've been advocating for this painful, scarring, needless practice to end I have had  at 3 women come to me speaking of their regret. I had three women who said they didn't know. THEY are the reason I advocate so loudly. I had one friend who I believe is experiencing a form of PTSD because she had to help hold down her nephew so he could be cut. They nicked the head of his penis and took too much of his foreskin as well. His penis will probably curve and his erections may be painful later on in life.

I almost cry writing this. WHY? We aren't cutting the genitals of girls for cleanliness and trust me, vaginas have more folds and nook and crannies than a penis. We aren't cutting out breast buds of girls who have a history of breast cancer in their family as a preventative measure. We aren't telling girls their vaginas have to match their Mothers. WTF? I don't want to look at my Mothers vagina, thank you...nor do I want mine to match hers. We treat girls who have UTIs with antibiotics yet we amputate part of boys' penises to prevent this. WTF? Antibiotics, not amputation!

Sex as nature intended it is the way to go. Here are some articles on the functions of the foreskin. It is absolutely not a useless piece of skin. Remember you are not circumcising a baby but the man that he will become. http://www.noharmm.org/advantage.htm and http://www.drmomma.org/2009/09/functions-of-foreskin-purposes-of.html and http://www.circumstitions.com/Functions.html .

I guess no matter what part of circumcision that gets through to you....no matter what studies I read about how many UTIs he might get in his first year (he's had none), infections (he's had none) or his increased risk of HIV (I expect him to use safe sex practices and not rely on his foreskin or lack thereof to do the job) it always gets back to a few basic common sense things.

1. It can be removed later but never replaced. (Restoration aside, that's another conversation. Though even in this case it will never be the same.) PERMANENT. You are making permanent body modifications to an infant who cannot consent. It is not life saving or even needed.

2. Foreskin is not a birth defect. Say it slow and say it a few times..Every baby boy (unless he has a birth defect) is born with one. That's a plan. A purpose. A reason. Who am I to say I know better than Mother Nature or God or evolution? What other body parts do we routinely remove that aren't a birth defect? NONE.

3. Europe (just to take one country) keeps their babies foreskin attached and have no idea what our issue is with it. They think we're nutso doing things to the genitals of our brand new babies! And I agree! They have whole, intact natural penises and no problem with it.

That's really all I need to know about circumcision. Those 3 facts alone. I've heard the 'look like Daddy' reason and as I mentioned before, I don't compare vaginas with my Mother...I refuse to think my son wants to compare penises with his Father. Plus I'm having sex with my husband's penis, not my sons...creepy that I would want their genitalia to match. If you don't think your son has enough gumption to rinse under his foreskin WHEN HE RETRACTS IT (you never retract a boy, they will retract when they are ready) then you are seriously underestimating him. I'm not really sure what kind of job a man who can't rinse under his foreskin will have.

I want my son to experience sex as nature intended it as well as his future partner. I wouldn't want to rob him (or his partner) of that. If he wishes to do it later he will be able to (see point 1 again). Here is a link about Sex as Nature Intended It.

When I started researching circumcision it helped me to put together some things about my own sex life. In recent years I have resorted to lube. I honestly felt like it was a malfunction on my part but come to find out it's because my Mother In Law had my husbands foreskin removed! Her decision is effecting MY sex life. BUMMER. He should come equipped with his own lube to help with mine not to mention he should have a ridge that fits perfects with my woman parts...but his parts of been surgically adjusted. I will not have sex as nature intended it.

This practice is barbaric and disgusting. I want it to be made illegal.