I wish there were some issues where once you've looked into the matter, you can come to a definitive stance and be done with it. Circumcision is something I am still conflicted about. Once upon a time when I didn't think it necessary to be fully informed before making a decision, circumcision wasn't a difficult issue. My husband was circumcised so our son would be circumcised. How easy was that? It wasn't that easy, though, taking our first born to the pediatrician's office and handing our baby over and having to sit in the waiting room until our baby was brought out to us. For our next 2 sons, I insisted on being with them during the circumcision. Even though it wasn't planned on my part, our first son was circumcised on the 8th day after birth. I scheduled the next 2 to occur on the 8th day as well. There are biblical as well as medical reasons for doing a circumcision on the 8th day. Vitamin K and prothrombin levels are at their peak on the 8th day. They are responsible for blood coagulation.
When I became interested in having a homebirth, I read many books on childbirth. Every single book advocates against circumcision. Could it be that circumcision was an American cultural trend that goes in and out of style? Many cultures never circumcised. It seems that circumcision was done primarily by Jewish people who do not accept the New Testament and Caucasians who are bound by tradition. What I'd like to know is what God expects of us in terms of circumcision for our sons today. Does He command it? It would seem that He does not. Then why do it? Practically speaking, there may be risks on both sides of the issue. I'm not convinced that penile cancer is a threat that can be removed by circumcision. It's good to know that penile cancer is not common.
Without conclusive data showing circumcision to be necessary, we didn't circumcise our 4th son. When I was pregnant with Noble, Chris and I discussed circumcision again. In the end because Chris personally preferred circumcision, we made the decision to circumcise once again. We were not very happy with Noble's circumcision. We choose to go with a Jewish doctor recommended by many of our friends. It was a routine office procedure. We had to wait for quite some time and when we objected to the vitamin K shot, we were told the doctor would not do the circumcision. We felt pressured to accept something that we knew was unnecessary. The very reason for circumcising on the 8th day was that hemorrhage would not be an issue but maybe the doctor trusted his vitamin K shot more. :(
It seemed to me that a lot of skin was cut off. I didn't have peace about the whole procedure.
If circumcision was something that God wants Christians to do for their sons, why does God not make it explicitly clear in the New Testament? Then again, we see the Old Testament food laws beneficial to our health, so cannot also circumcision be beneficial in the same way?
Maybe you can persuade me that circumcision is something more than just mere preference? But even then, my husband's preference outweighs my ambivalence about this crucial decision.
Chris is such an understanding husband and is willing to listen to my ideas. I could've persuaded him not to go through with Noble's circumcision, but I deferred to him and I'm glad I did. It seems to me that wives are more concerned with certain issues more than their husbands. Or maybe it's just that women think about them and then some more, whereas their husbands are comfortable in the status quo. Most people are probably happy to continue on a tradition, but if I did that and continued hospital birthing, for instance, I know that would not serve our family as well.
Sigh...I hope we have a girl hereafter.
2 comments:
If you're interested in the medical side of things, and possible health benefits, you might want to check out the following links (all from national medical organizations):
Canadian Paediatric Society
"Recommendation: Circumcision of newborns should not be routinely performed."
http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/pregnancy&babies/circumcision.htm
"Circumcision is a 'non-therapeutic' procedure, which means it is not medically necessary."
"After reviewing the scientific evidence for and against circumcision, the CPS does not recommend routine circumcision for newborn boys. Many paediatricians no longer perform circumcisions.
RACP Policy Statement on Circumcision
"After extensive review of the literature, the Paediatrics & Child Health Division of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians has concluded that there is no medical reason for routine newborn male circumcision."
(almost all the men responsible for this statement will be circumcised themselves, as the male circumcision rate in Australia in 1950 was about 90%. "Routine" circumcision is now *banned* in public hospitals in Australia in all states except one.)
British Medical Association: The law and ethics of male circumcision - guidance for doctors
"to circumcise for therapeutic reasons where medical research has shown other techniques to be at least as effective and less invasive would be unethical and inappropriate."
The Royal Dutch Medical Association
http://knmg.artsennet.nl/Diensten/knmgpublicaties/KNMGpublicatie/Nontherapeutic-circumcision-of-male-minors-2010.htm
"The official viewpoint of KNMG and other related medical/scientific organisations is that non-therapeutic circumcision of male minors is a violation of children’s rights to autonomy and physical integrity. Contrary to popular belief, circumcision can cause complications – bleeding, infection, urethral stricture and panic attacks are particularly common. KNMG is therefore urging a strong policy of deterrence. KNMG is calling upon doctors to actively and insistently inform parents who are considering the procedure of the absence of medical benefits and the danger of complications."
90% of Christians worldwide do *not* circumcise. In the most Christian countries in the world (places like Mexico, Poland, Brazil, Spain, Italy), the practice is almost unknown.
The Catholic church has been opposed for centuries:
The Holy Roman Church "...commands all who glory in the name of Christian, at whatever time, before or after baptism, to cease entirely from circumcision, since, whether or not one places hope in it, it cannot be observed at all without the loss of eternal salvation."
From Cantate Domino, re-affirmed by Pope Pius XII in 1952
"From a moral point of view, circumcision is permissible if, in accordance with therapeutic principles, it prevents a disease that cannot be countered in any other way." Pope Pius XII in 1952
The form of circumcision undergone by Christ was nothing like a modern day circumcision anyway. He would have looked more like an intact man than like someone who has had a typical American circumcision. The most common form of circumcision today was only introduced by rabbis (not Christians) over a century after the Crucifixion to stop Jewish men from pretending to be gentile.
The stuff about vitamin K and prothrombin seems to be bogus btw, or at least I've never found any scientific paper which confirms it. There's nothing special about the eighth day, and no other operation would be scheduled for then.
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