How can you convince your parents that circumcision is acceptable?

Answer 1

Approximately 15% of the world's men have been circumcised, most of them with no effect other then the loss of a large percentage of penile skin including between 10.000 and 100.000 Erogenous nerves and a loss of the protection and eventually the sensitivity of the glans penis. Circumcision has been practiced successfully for thousands of years, with only a minimal loss of life. For example, in the United states where conditions are good and usually hygenic the Death Rate associated with circumcision is only slightly higher then that of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) while in poorer countries where it is done under far more risky conditions the rate would be far higher. To make the practice seem acceptable you would have to make a point of not bringing up these points. Whether it is really a good idea is still debatable, and the debate for its acceptability is put forward on religious or cultural grounds or by those that have a vested (financial) interest in its continuation. However 85% of the world's population see it as not acceptable in general. I don't know what your personal reasons may be for wanting to be circumcised (even that is a speculation, since perhaps you just want to win a debate with your parents but don't actually want to be circumcised) but whatever your reasons may be, you can tell them to your parents. I can think of 3 possible reasons:

1. You believe that this is what God wants you to do.

2. You want to simplify your personal hygiene. However this issue can be easily argued as circumcision is not hygienic.

3. You are excited by the idea of body modification.

Possibly you can think of other reasons. I might have suggested that all your friends are doing it, except that I don't believe that all your friends are doing it.

Another View:The short answer: You convince them by proving to them that there is a real medical need for it. If there is no real medical need, then you need to reconsider your position. Read on.

This is a hotly debated topic in the US currently. If your parents are against routine circumcision, you should carefully hear them out, assuming that you are now having children that you wish to circumcise against their advice. On the other hand, if there is a medically indicated need for circumcision in a particular case, then the advice of your doctors should be followed. Keep in mind that simply being a newborn boy is not by itself a medical indication for circumcision. Many doctors will tell you that the actual need for circumcision cannot be determined at birth because it naturally takes time for the foreskin to naturally detach from the glans penis. There is no indication of a problem until a few years have passed.

On rare occasions older males can have problems for which circumcision may be indicated, although you should consider any nonsurgical treatments first if there are any available. If you are in this situation and you have had a few opinions from a few different doctors, then do what your doctors recommend, by all means. And the advice of your doctors is what you need to convince your parents.

If you are a young man and you want to be circumcised for cosmetic reasons, or to be like your friends, especially if you are taking a ribbing from them, then I urge you to get as much information as possible. The foreskin is a complex and very useful tissue; eliminating it before you fully understand what it is and what it does may be a big mistake.