Where Is My Foreskin? (Readers' letters)

The current issue of Mothering magazine, no. 86, Jan/Feb 1998 has 13 letters published as the response to the Oct. 1997 Mothering article The Case Against Circumcision by Paul Fleiss, MD.

The letters are on pages 10 to 13.

Congratulations on The Case Against Circumcision (Winter 1997). Mothering has been at the forefront of this educational crusade for many years. Keep up the wonderful tradition and educational service provided by your superb publication.

Again, thank you from millions of parents and their sons.

- James E. Peron, EdD
Childbirth Education Foundation

Thank you for having the guts to finally publish the truth about circumcision. It is an operation that has no medical benefits and is much misunderstood by the parenting population.

Much of this misinformation has been spread by my colleagues, who continue to look for a reason for its practice. There is only one main reason I can see, and that is easy money. Never mind the ethical standards that the operation violates, which they never address, either because of ignorance or choosing to ignore the facts.

I applaud you for breaking the ice and stating that routine infant circumcision is unnecessary and wrong. Continue your good work. We keep Mothering in our waiting room for patients to read.

- K. Baker, MD
Obstetrics and Gynecology

Thank you for having the courage to ask the question that no one wants to admit colors the circumcision debate: Where is My Foreskin? The Case Against Circumcision will educate parents about the structure and function of the foreskin, as well as about the physical, psychological, and sexual harm caused by its loss. I was horrified by the first circumcision I saw as a nursing student. Weeks later, I was stunned to realize that in telling what was being done to babies behind closed doors I was also revealing the horror of what had already happened to so many males in our society-- including my husband and three sons. I now know that a wound must be recognized before it can be healed.

When my youngest son asked me for a copy of _Sexual Mutilations- A Human Tragedy_ edited by George Denniston, MD and myself, I inscribed the following: You know that if I could take one thing back in my life of many mistakes it would be the circumcision of my sons-- the gravest mistake of all. It is the pain and trauma inflicted upon you – because I didn't know enough to protect you – that will save untold numbers of other babies from the same suffering. It will never be enough-- because it won't by you and your brothers thatare spared.

I would like to let readers know that the Fifth International Symposium on Sexual Mutilations will be held at Oxford University, August 5-7, 1998. For more information, contact NOCIRC, PO Box 2512, San Anselmo, CA 94979.

- Marilyn Fayre Milos, RN
Executive Director, NOCIRC
San Anselmo, California

As a pediatric nurse practitioner working in a hospital birthing center, I honor a woman's inner power. I am always glad when a family decides to leave the foreskin intact. For those who choose the procedure, I gently make sure that they understand that it is unnecessary and why.

However, The Case Against Circumcision incites fear and does not honor what Mothering is about. I have never, ever sent off foreskin to be used for pharmaceutical or cosmetic experiments or uses. It is disposed of in the wastebasket! What million-dollar business are you possibly talking about? Mothers give themselves enough to feel guilty about, let's not add xxxxxxxxxx.

- Kathryn Landon-Malone, RN
Portland, Maine

The Case Against Circumcision turned up the same week we were told that our ten-year-old son would need to be circumcised. Your article confirmed all the reasons we left our son's foreskin intact in the first place. We never thought we would have to revisit this. Our son's foreskin retracted after birth, but now it doesn't.

Research has taught us that nonretracting foreskins do occasionally occur in a small percentage of older boys and that there are alternatives to circumcision, including manual stretching and less drastic forms of surgery.

We would like to hear from other readers who have been through this. What option(s) did you choose? How do you locate a like-minded healthcare practitioner? How did your son handle the attention?

- Parents in Pennsylvania

In The Case Against Circumcision Dr. Fleiss makes a very convincing argument. Nowhere, however, does he mention religious reasons for circumcision.

I would be very interested to hear how other Jewish families resolve this issue. Do they follow their hearts, as he suggests, at the price of horrifying and alienating their families? Or do they follow their faith by subjecting their child to something that goes against all their parenting ideals?For some people, this issue is far from simple.

- Kathryn Orlinsky
Irvine, California

While I agree that circumcision for medical reasons is unwarranted, The Case Against Circumcision argues in a culturally insensitive manner againstall circumcision.

Jewish tradition goes back to Abraham's circumcision of Isaac and other males in his household at God's command (including Ishmael and himself), as a sign of the covenant. My son's bris was one of the most profound spiritual events of my life. The pain of cutting my new baby – to him and to me – was not lost on me, and it was in fully encountering this pain that I felt the awesome transcendence of consecrating another generation to the service of God. The paradox is that the very physicality of this ritual charges it with a power that was formerly unknown to me in any religious practice. No doubt child sacrifice – as once practiced -- was also very powerful. Circumcision falls far short of such ritual murder -- now condemned – yet preserves something of the primal and transcendent meaning involved in offering one's child to God.

Dr. Fleiss's claim that the Roman Empire prohibited circumcision to protect children is a shockingly inaccurate and shameful misrepresentation of a classic tactic of antisemitic religious persecution. Rome also prohibited the study of Jewish texts and the observance of the Sabbath.

Finally, the Jewish people will be saddened to discover that our brain development has been stunted by circumcision! The folly of such a claim in the light of the highly disproportionate number of Jewish males among Nobel Prize laureates, etc., makes it unworthy of serious response. I hope that future treatment of this subject in your fine magazine will be more nuanced, sophisticated, and culturally sensitive.

- Jeffrey Chajes, PhD (Yale)
Circumcised, healthy, and sexually satisfied!

Where is My Foreskin? Males of my baby-boom generation have wondered about that for decades, and we have been falsely told that a part of our bodies was whacked off for our own good.

Kudos to Dr. Paul Fleiss for his comprehensive, compelling, and richly documented article. It not only tells how complex a structure the foreskin is, but how valuable it is to be completely male as nature intended.

Circumcision is repulsive abuse of helpless newborns, ethically indefensible, and a human rights violation that cannot continue. Expectant parents need to wise up and say no! We cannot expect the medical profession to lead the way to ending this rude, crude, and violent treatment of our youngest males as they come into this world.

- Lawn Griffiths
Tempe, Arizona

Finally a piece that explains the function of the foreskin-- another example of how perfect nature is. I was very disappointed that there were no pictures of intact and circumcised penises. I realize that with the current concern about kiddie porn it may not be wise to show actual photographs of genitals, but how about some diagrams? Most people are not aware of the differences in penises.

Thank you again for a fine magazine.

- Deborah Yokum
Saranac, New York

As nurses who educate parents about circumcision, it was a great relief to read The Case Against Circumcision by Paul Fleiss, MD. Many physicians present a balanced view about circumcision, leading parents to believe that circumcision is a benign procedure and that it's no big deal. Dr.Fleiss lays that myth to rest.

Circumcision harms a child sexually and emotionally. It also damages the child's bond with his mother. Congratulations to Mothering for being a fierce advocate for the needs and rights of the child.

- Mary Conant, RN
Betty Katz Sperlich, RN
Nurses for the Rights of the Child
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Thank you for The Case Against Circumcision. Because I read an article about circumcision in Mothering several years ago, our son has his foreskin intact, and I've become a field organizer for the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers (NOCIRC). Thank you, thank you for keeping the circumcision issue upfront and in the public's eye. For the children!

- Laurin Kiser
Gastonia, North Carolina

Thank you so much for The Case Against Circumcision. I read a fine book called _Circumcision- What It Does_ by Billy Ray Boyd, which particularly talks about how circumcision affects a man's sexuality.

- Clay Olson
Santa Cruz, California

When my son was born, I believed that boys are circumcised. When I asked the doctor if it would hurt, he just laughed and said, Of course not! Now I am suffering guilt, self-hatred, and sorrow. Why didn't I protect my son? Where was my consciousness? Why didn't I demand to know more? How can I forgive myself and help my son to heal? Do I discuss this with my son who is 8 years old? How do we reconcile and heal if we recognize our mistake?

- Jennifer Silver
New York City, New York

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