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When I was pregnant with my son, I didn’t even know what circumcision was. I had only seen one intact penis, and honestly, I was intimidated by it… Because I had NEVER seen one that was normal and natural.
When I gave birth to my son I asked my doctor when I should get him circumcised, and she asked me why. I said that his dad is, and I didn’t want him to feel weird (yes I had this thought :/ Not proud of it) She gave me a weird look and said that this reasoning wasn’t the right way to decide what to do. She then told me that my insurance wouldn’t cover it, and that the hospital doesn’t do it. I was a bit confussed, I am SO grateful for this doctor, and for medicaid not covering it. It gave me time to REALLY think about what I was going to be doing to my son.
I was never told there were benefits to circumcision. I just thought it the “normal” thing. Even after deciding to keep my son whole, I still thought it the parent’t choice until 2 years later when I was pregnant with my daughter.
I was in a ‘reading everything I can’ phase pregnant with her and was learning all I could about anything mother related. Why I didn’t do this while pregnant with my son I still don’t know.
When I learned that female circumcision was LEGAL here in the US, and it was being done HERE, and not just in third world countries, I was appauled. I then learned how similar type one female mutilation is to the circumcision done on boys, and was SO appauled at what was happening. I then went into learning ALL I could fit into my pregnancy brain about circumcision, about the foreskin, and about what circumcision does to the child physically and emotionally. I told my mom about what I was learning, and she said that 2 of my brothers were not circumcised. She said that one of my brothers almost died, and she couldn’t bring herself to risk another child’s life again. One is 21, and the other is 19. NO problems what so ever. I REALLY wish that circumcision would have been talked about in our home… maybe my other nephew could have been spared this cosmetic proceedure.
I then talked with my sister, and she confirmed my findings of brain chemistry being changed in the infants, NEVER to go back to how it was again. I was told that her sons were intact and perfect. I was SO happy to find that not all my nephews were subjected to this, and that my sister agreed with my new found stance.
I have only been an intactivist for 7 months, even though my son is intact and almost 3. I now no longer can EVER see this as a parents choice when it does SO much harm to the child. I thank God every day that my son, even though I was ignorant, has NEVER been forcibly retracted I thank God everyday that I had enough common sense, even though I didn’t have the facts, to keep him how God made him. Thank you for reading.