My post last week on the debate around female circumcision is still on my mind, as well as the world’s. Today, a NY Times piece on male circumcision, as well as my original post, has me thinking. OK. Circumcising baby boys is wrong, too. Happy now?
I gave little thought to my own son’s future, let alone his rights, when I left that decision up to his father since I knew what he’d decide. Had I been on my own, I’m sure I would have had it done with little thought but at least, that way, I had plausible deniability going for me if Junior came after me in the future. That was 2001 and the backlash against the practice was in its infancy. Now, though, I don’t see how you can support the practice for men but not for women. Of course, circumcising anesthetized babies in a hospital is a far cry from doing it to 12 year old in the village square. Still, adding an operating room in the latter instance might be painless but nonetheless wrong. If either a boy or a girl wants to be circumcised once adult, who’s to complain (see: breast implants and ‘re-virgination’ procedures)? But until the health claims made for male circumscision are proven (see the above article), it’s hard to see how the practice can be justified on grounds of tradition alone.
Man, I hate having to carry my thoughts through to uncomfortable conclusions. I’d rather change a 1,000 mouse traps than my mind.
(Also, see the Huffington Post on a western woman’s investigative foray behind the veil since there’s a pretty straight line between it and FGM.)
