I Regret Circumcising My Sons Without Their Permission

Is it ethical to cut a baby boy’s foreskin without his consent?

Photo by Walaa Khaleel on Unsplash

Most boys, if they’re circumcised in this country, go under the knife at only a few days old. I’ve heard it argued that it’s just too painful for a boy to wait until he’s older, though males can be circumcised at any age.

Other factors in favor of circumcising a boy when he’s just a baby are that the recovery takes longer the older a boy gets. There’s also an increased risk for complications when circumcisions are carried out in older boys or men.

As such, doctors prefer to circumcise boys when they’re babies, often just days after birth.

And yet I question if the evidence in favor of circumcising boys as infants is strong enough to warrant the procedure being done in every case.

Not being circumcised is not life-threatening to a baby. Think about the countries where circumcision isn’t de rigueur.

Shouldn’t boys be given the chance to wait until they’ve at least reached an age when they can make up their own minds? What with how circumcision is irreversible.