While I was in Los Angeles a few weeks ago I lost one of the balls to my apadravya piercing. The hole healed much more quickly than I expected, which means I no longer have a genital piercing but my penis looks like it has a belly button on the top of the head. I don’t want to go through the pain, expense, and recovery of getting it re-pierced right now so I am going to leave it out. It is a little disappointing but this does provide me with the opportunity to try and restore my foreskin via Tugger. A friend of mine has been using Tugger and has been really happy with the results, particularly in restoring some of the pleasure sensations. I’m not quite sure if I’m going to do it but I am considering it.
I’m not upset with my parents for getting me circumcised, though I wish they wouldn’t have done it. I understand they were doing the best they could and following medical guidance at the time, though I don’t think there is a good reason for circumcision anymore. In fact, I think that it violates the rights of the child.
Infant circumcision permanently and unnecessarily removes a part of the child’s body that is responsible for pleasure. Parents are caretakers of their children, they do not own them. They are not free to do whatever they wish with their children. Any medical procedure, particularly one that permanently removes part of their body, should only be undertaken if medically necessary.
In my experience the two main reasons people support circumcision is cultural and preventative medicine, neither of which justify the act in my mind. Just because something is a cultural norm doesn’t mean it is ethical. Circumcision your infant so that they look like their father or for religious reasons is not a good reason. If a religion demanded that a hot iron be used to brand an infant because all the men in the community had that scar or because it symbolizes a covenant with god we would rightfully see that as barbaric, just like circumcision. An infant cannot choose a religion, if an adult wants to get circumcised for religious beliefs that is their decision but it is beyond a parent’s authority to do that to a child.
There does seem to be some medicinal benefit to circumcision, particularly around STI prevention and cleanliness. Still, this doesn’t justify a permanent medical procedure in my mind. Both STI prevention and cleanliness can be accomplished through educating about condoms and hygiene. The vast majority of the world is uncircumcised, including Europe, and they seem to find a way to survive without this unnecessary procedure. It might be easier for the parents to just cut off the foreskin instead of having genital-related conversations with their children, but convenience does not justify violating the child’s right to bodily autonomy.
Sexual pleasure is an important part of the human experience for most people. That opportunity should not be minimized by parents. The choice to get circumcised belongs to the child alone to make when they are adults. I’m glad we live in a time of medical advancements and some of this damage can be repaired, but it would be much better if the damage wasn’t done in the first place.
Wandering Oak 