Reading the stories reminded me of something I’d pushed to the back of my mind. About three years ago when I was in nursing school I witnessed a circumcision. It was exactly as horrible as the stories described it. The poor baby was strapped down, left alone, then brutally cut. I cried. I knew that if I’d seen that 4 years earlier, I’d of never had my own son circumcised.
The part that bugs me the most about my decision is that it was never really a decision. “Everyone does it” and so I had it done too. I never even thought about the fact that a part of my son’s body was being brutally removed. I agree that every mother should witness a circumcision before consenting to one for their son, to make it more than just a yes or no on the list of questions they ask you.
After the birth of a son and daughter in the hospital and now my youngest daughter at home, I know that I never want another hospital birth and I will never have another son circumcised.
Kim Bennett
Frederick, MD