So you're having a boy. No matter how I try, I can't be happy. I try to tell myself it doesn't matter, but I know it does. My heart sank when I lost hope of a girl. It's not that I feel that girls are superior. It's that, even though you don't recognize it, you do. If it was a girl, you'd recognize the perfection of your baby, but you've fallen for the lie that boys are born imperfect and are better off if their bodies are altered. Before your son has a chance to go home, to prove he can wash himself and is healthy, to say he likes his body the way it is, his most sensitive part will be painfully ripped, crushed and sliced from his body. His struggles and cries will be ignored. He may lose his penis or his life, but even that isn't enough to change your mind. You are the parent and believe it's your right to alter his penis and its function to meet your preferences. There is nothing I can say or do to protect him from the trauma and lifelong loss you intend to inflict. I can't be happy when all I want to do is cry for the baby I can't save.
Many people have unnecessary modifications made to their bodies and are happy with them. That does not give them the right to force the same modifications upon their children’s bodies.
Many people have been through extreme trauma, sometimes they can’t remember it, yet they lead successful and fulfilling lives (Steven King is an example of this). That does not give them the right to put their children through the same trauma. Many women had their clitoral hoods (foreskins) removed and feel it doesn’t make a difference or that sex is even better for it. That does not give them the right to remove their daughters’ clitoral hoods. Many people have lost one of their senses, but are still able to function. That does not give them the right to deprive their children of that sense. Many people have had to have body parts amputated due to disease. That does not give them the right to amputate those body parts from their children to prevent a disease. Many people get dentures and have better dental hygiene as a result. That does not give them the right to remove their children's teeth. Many people have a family history of abuse and turned out fine. That does not give them the right to abuse their children. If they did abuse their children, it would show they did not turn out fine. This is not just common sense, it’s the law. Only if it’s an American infant’s penis do people argue that because they know men who are happy being circumcised, they have the right to put their son through the trauma of amputating his foreskin and deprive him of the most sensitive part of his body to prevent some unlikely illness, because it's cleaner or it’s their tradition, and then say, “don’t judge me.” What about the 14th Amendment protecting equal rights? Where’s the ACLU protecting the rights of the men those babies will become? Where’s the common sense? |