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Josh O'Sullivan will never remember what life was
like with a foreskin.
Last year, when he was three weeks old, his dad Ryan
took him to be circumcised. ... at an Auckland medical
centre and [it] cost around $500. Although he wasn't
doing it for specific medical or cultural reasons,
O'Sullivan felt very strongly about the importance of
the procedure. "Even if my wife
had said 'no', I would have still done it."
The medical profession, he says, weren't encouraging.
"The midwife sort of frowned upon it, but she let it
go, and even the doctor who performed the
circumcision, he tells you the pros and cons of the
whole deal and it's almost like they are trying to
talk you out of it." He says it was hard seeing his
son in pain, ... O'Sullivan is Pakeha [New Zealander
of non-Maori descent], not Polynesian, Jewish or
Muslim, which is increasingly rare among parents who
have their boys circumcised ...
Foreskin's
Lament, Sunday Star-Times, Auckland, New
Zealand, March 23, 2008
My (now ex) husband was adamant, 'this child WILL be
circ'd'. His reasons were varied, and irrationally
changed with each rational discussion. He finally
admitted that he had no logical reason - no religious
reason, no valid health reason, no reasonable societal
reason, but he wanted it done nonetheless.
QueBella, posting on Thisisby.us..com
April 25, 2008,
Well no matter what, my male children will be cut.
Nothing will change that.
- Tired of silly, posting on msnbc Newsvine 31 March, 2009
D[arling ]h[usband] said we are having it done to our
son, no questions asked...
sorry im not much help!
Bellstar9 on The Bump, January 25, 2010
Up until my son was born, I was on the fence about
circumcision. Ultimately, it was my husband's decision
and he chose to have him cut with no real research
(which I did extensive amounts of) and did it because
he was. He was adament about it being done and I felt
like my son's choice was taken away. When they came to
take him, I sobbed and begged for a compromise; he'll
be cut, but in a bris. We are not Jewish, but I found
a mohel who would do it in a secular cermoney since I
am Pagan. I felt it would be a better way to do it
because I would be allowed to be with him and seems
less traumatic, but alas, that wasn't a choice for my
husband either.
Pua Smith on The Stir June 13, 2011
He flipped. He became enraged and totally irrational.
He insisted that it must be done, that it would be
done. He didn’t want to do any research and didn’t
want to talk about it with me. He acted in a way I had
never before or since seen him behave. He insisted
that a boy had to look like his father. [It turned out
his father was intact.]
Sarah on the Front Porch Swing, March 31,
2010
...my husband who was circumcised could not IMAGINE
that a foreskin was a part of a penis, because he
didn't have a foreskin... and his penis was FINE...
not DAMAGED! He could not get over that leap between
him being sexually fine and another man being fine
with even more sexual anatomy than he had. He was in a
state of panic between common sense and self defense.
Our fights were fierce- I was astounded at his
reaction- he did not seem like himself- it was like he
was a robot who was programmed with a execute
circumcision command... and my putting an unplanned
obstacle in that path made the whole system go
berzerk.
The most upsetting scene of the whole time was my
husband curled in a fetal position on the couch with a
pillow crammed over his crotch crying... and still
demanding that we had to do this. For me it was like
watching regression therapy- I was seeing my husband
relive the pain of his own circumcision... his outward
body clenched in such a self defensive curl-
emotionally he was begging to have a solution to this
pain... and the solution that he thought he had found
was to circumcise the baby... to make circumcision
right. It was the only way he could convince himself
that circumcision is a reasonable thing to do to
babies...to men.
the same Sarah on Mothering.com, February 3, 2004
...
Before my first son, I researched circumcision
thoroughly, found out what a horrible procedure it is,
and convinced my ex-husband that we should not
circumcise him (even though my ex-husband is
circumcised). He reluctantly agreed, and our son was
not circumcised. When our second son came around,
there wasn't even any dicussion about circumcising
him.
Several years later, our relationship deteriorated to
the point where we ended up getting divorced. After
that, he didn't want to spend too much time with the
boys, and only wanted them over one weekend a month.
About 4 months ago, after the boys came back from
their weekend with him, I could immediately tell
something was wrong. It turned out he
had both our beautiful boys circumcised.
...
After they had healed, there wasn't even any skin
bunching up behind their penis heads -- and the
circumcision scars are roughly half way down their
shafts. They have had a lot removed.
Of course, they hate their
circumcisions. They are frequently bothered
by their bared and scarred genitals rubbing in their
underwear. My ex seems to think I'm over reacting over
this. He tells me that eventually calluses will build
up, and they will begin to appreciate their
circumcisions.
...
Julia on Mothering.com, March 1, 2013
I didn't really want to have our 2 sons circ'd, but my DH was adamant...there
were several arguments over it the first time around,
but in the end, my DH felt very very strongly in favor
of circ'ing, so we did. ...
The circ itself did not heal as well as we would have
liked, and as well as the second child's. ...
Allyssa Wheaton-Rodriguez on Parenting.com, March 29, 2013
My son was circumcised about 24 hours after his
birth. My husband was adamant
about having the procedure.
Deena Myers Jenkins on Parenting.com, March 29, 2013
Facebook, January 17, 2014
"I know a momma that is a little over 24wks or so
preggo with a boy and plans to cut him...I messaged
her some helpful info and links...and then left it be
for 2wks...messaged her today and asked if she had
made a decision or did any research and she says she
is leaving it up to the dad and her 1st was cut and is
fine. ...
I sent her a message that said "Can you and daddy sit
down and watch this?" and sent the link to Penn &
Teller bullshit video. And this is what I got back
"Did is da father. Leave her alone bout dis crap. Ur
aggravatin her which is aggravatin. My
son
WILL b circumsized and theres NOT A DAMN THING U CAN
DO ABOUT IT. Gud day"
A friend of Brother K, May 18, 2014
My boys are circumcised. And I am not a bad mother, my husband absolutely insisted that
they were done. It is each their own. To
judge each other is wrong I don't know much about
girls being done but I would not change that we as
parents had it done and if you don't want to have it
done to your child good for you but get over that
others do. And if later in life your boys get it done
because you didn't do it when they were baby's don't
judge them or shame them for it.
Shanna Ingle on Facebook, August 14, 2014
"My son stayed in the
hospital for a week after I was discharged, due to his
bilirubinemia. My husband and I fought and argued
about circumcision for months leading up to our son's
birth. He knew I was totally against it. On
the one day I left the hospital to run a few
errands and go home and get a change of clothes (the
ONLY day I left the hospital), my
husband gave consent for circumcision. When I got
back to the hospital, my son had been cut. I
can't even tell you how this makes me feel. My husband
thinks I'm overreacting and is proud his son "looks
like him". I'm so disgusted with myself. I should have
never left my son's side. I don't think I will ever
forgive my husband."
- A friend of Brother K on
Facebook,
January 3, 2015
(Adamant mothers)
Facebook, December 11, 2012
Facebook, April 25, 2013
ace81620 in babycentre, August 14, 2014
- Facebook, undocumented
This mother can't afford it...
...but resists financial
incentives...
...plays the "my child" card...
...and admits that she has lost the
debate.
-Twitter, May 11, 2018
- Twitter, July 2, 2018
- Facebook, July 2020
(An adamant doctor)
When we had the meeting in 1997 in Belfast with the
Consultants of the Health Trust who were performing
circumcisions, after failing to give us any medical
indication for performing the proceedure one of those
present became very aggressive, thumped the table,
pointed at me and I quote:
"I don't care what she says I am
still gonna do it."
He did in fact continue to do so and as far as I am
aware still does although he moved to the private
sector to continue in his mission to circumcise
without medical need.
Linda Massie, pers. com. July 8, 2012
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