Sitting by the side of the pool each morning for 2 weeks of swimming lessons, with a group of moms I'd never met before, we often talked about our kids, the hot weather, weekend plans for camping. The usual chit-chat.
But one morning, a concerned mom exited the restroom with her toddler and immediately asked me something. "This is a weird question, I know, but you have 3 boys. My son has a crack coming from his pee-hole down over the top of the penis. Is it some kind of rash? Do you think it will heal on its own? It has been getting worse, and I think I should take him in to the doctor." I responded that we'd never experienced anything like that and it didn't sound normal: probably time to see a doctor.
I don't know how things turned out for that boy at the pool. I hope that he was able to heal easily. But I do know that he had been circumcised, as that had come up in a previous conversation. In all likelihood, this was the reason behind the problem he was having.
It would be incredibly rare for an intact toddler to experience a cracked, irritated, or scarred and narrowed meatus because the foreskin would be doing its job as God designed: to cover and protect. Germs, dirt, and diapers wouldn't be irritating the glans and meatus. Meatal stenosis – rare in intact boys but quite common in circumcised boys – is when the meatus gets too narrowed or scarred and usually has to be cut open in a procedure called a meatotomy. In some cases when the meatus begins to tear or crack, skin grafting surgery is needed to fix it.
Adhesions can form when the cut skin attempts to heal itself, and the healing skin heals "stuck" to the glans. One study showed that a full quarter of circumcised boys under the age of 3 had adhesions. Most doctors treat these by ripping them back off the glans, though sometimes they resolve on their own.
Skin bridges are another issue that can be present at any age in circumcised men and boys. Like adhesions, skin bridges are a result of cut skin healing and connecting in the wrong place, forming a bridge. Sylvia, a volunteer here at Little Images, sees skin bridges frequently in her work in the emergency room. The adult patients, or the parents of children with skin bridges, often think that they are "normal" or that they have always been there, but they are a circumcision complication. Skin bridges can cause a variety of problems: hygiene issues, infections, and discomfort or pain during activities, including sex.
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Sylvia says
Great article! After swimming at the beach the other day, I showered my son down, and noticed he had sand all over down there. I was grateful that his foreskin was doing its job – covering and protecting from any irritation! God’s design is so incredibly perfect!! 😀
Sonja Beuskens says
I was so shocked when I had a boy and went to change his diaper, and I didn’t have to press down to bring his penis out to wipe it, like I did with my friend’s son. they had always told me that was normal for infant boys. I had no experience so never questioned it. years later I learned that his was a complication from removal of too much foreskin. I often wonder what happened to him. he’s about 8 now… the parents aren’t open to circ discussions (in fact the father called me some pretty horrible names over something I once shared)….so I can’t help but wonder how that all ends up playing out as he grows older…
littleimages says
Hi Sonja, thanks for reaching out, thanks for your support, and sorry to hear about your friends and their son. It sounds like you’re referring to a condition called “buried penis,” often another unfortunate complication of male circumcision. It’s a less common complication than the ones mentioned in this article, but it’s just as easy to avoid.
Candace Roberts says
So happy to have two intact boys and an intact husband. It would be so sad to see any of them dealing with these issues.
Kathi Leineke says
I’m so happy that i lisent to my gut in 76/80/ 82 all of my now grown children have their whole bodies, my son has thanked me for respecting and protecting His Body. They are also protecting their young from this human rights violation. Happy granma!!!
Rachel Reilly says
Also a very happy mama of a very happy intact baby boy! So sad to hear about stories like that.
Senika Eastman says
Best!
Katie Gena says
Being circumsized is in the bible
littleimages says
Thanks for writing, Katie. The old version of circumcision, much less severe than today’s circumcision, is mentioned in the Old Testament, you’re right. But the New Testament said Christians do not need to circumcise. For example, in 1 Corinthians 7:18 Paul says: “And the man who was uncircumcised when he became a believer should *not* be circumcised.”
So Christians throughout history have nearly universally rejected Old Testament circumcision – and so have also rejected the more extensive modern “circumcision.” There are only a few exceptions, like the Philippines and part of the 20th/21st century USA.
Anthony Webster says
“For you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know this full well.” -Psalm 139:13-14
“But in fact, God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wants them to be.” -1 Cor 12:18
“Behold, I, Paul, tell you that if you be circumcised, Christ will be of no advantage to you.” -Gal 5:2
“And I testify again to every male who receives circumcision, that he is in debt to keep the whole Law. You who do so have been severed from Christ…you have fallen from grace.” -Gal 5:3
“For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, it makes no difference to God whether we are circumcised or not circumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.” -Gal 5:6
“But if I still proclaim circumcision…then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.” -Gal 5:11
“I wish that those who are pushing you to do so would mutilate themselves!” -Gal 5:12
“And even those who advocate circumcision don’t really keep the whole law. They only want you to be circumcised so they can brag about it and claim you as their disciples.” -Gal 6:13
“For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.” -Gal 6:15
“For there are many who rebel against right teaching; they engage in useless talk and deceive people. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. They must be silenced. By their wrong teaching, they have already turned whole families away from the truth. Such teachers only want your money” – Titus 1:10-11
“Watch out for those wicked men – dangerous dogs, I call them – who say you must be circumcised. Beware of the evil doers. Beware of the mutilation. For it isn’t the cutting of our bodies that makes us children of God; it is worshiping him with our spirits.” – Phil 3:2-3
“But each of you should remain in the place in life that the Lord has given you. Stay as you were when God chose you. Was a man already circumcised [Old Covenant] when God chose him? Then he should not become uncircumcised. Was he uncircumcised [New Covenant] when God chose him? Then he should not be circumcised. Being circumcised means nothing. Being uncircumcised means nothing. Doing what God commands is what counts.” -1 Cor. 7:17-19
“Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching, saying, ‘Moses commanded you to be circumcised. If you aren’t, you can’t be saved.’ But Paul and Barnabas didn’t agree with this, argued strongly with them, and were appointed to go up to Jerusalem with other believers chosen to go with them. The apostles and elders met together to consider this question. […] Peter got up and spoke to them, ‘Brothers, you know that some time ago God chose me to take the good news to unbelievers. He wanted them to hear the good news and believe. God knows the human heart. […] Now then, why are you trying to test God? You test him when you put a heavy load on the believers’ shoulders [regarding circumcision]. Our people of long ago couldn’t carry that load. We can’t either.” -Acts 15:1-2, 6-10
“Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.” -1 Tim 4:7
Bella Smith says
Are you crazy? God demanded circumcision! Read Genesis 17 and stop glorifying a circumfetishist deity!
Cait says
Christ was the last blood sacrifice. You might want to read up on your bible again. Galatians is a great place to start.
Bryan says
“‘Moses…gave unto you circumcision;6 (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man. If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day? Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.’ (John 7:22-24, King James Version)
According to Jesus, circumcision came to Moses through the patriarchs. If he believed it had come from God, he likely would have mentioned it. Interestingly, Jesus here constrasts the destructive nature of physical mutilation with himself making man ‘every whit whole.’ The Greek readership would have quickly understood this to be an attack on circumcision. Also, Paul makes it clear that circumcision was intended for the heart.
Anthony Webster says
“For you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know this full well.” -Psalm 139:13-14
“But in fact, God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wants them to be.” -1 Cor 12:18
“Behold, I, Paul, tell you that if you be circumcised, Christ will be of no advantage to you.” -Gal 5:2
“And I testify again to every male who receives circumcision, that he is in debt to keep the whole Law. You who do so have been severed from Christ…you have fallen from grace.” -Gal 5:3
“For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, it makes no difference to God whether we are circumcised or not circumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.” -Gal 5:6
“But if I still proclaim circumcision…then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.” -Gal 5:11
“I wish that those who are pushing you to do so would mutilate themselves!” -Gal 5:12
“And even those who advocate circumcision don’t really keep the whole law. They only want you to be circumcised so they can brag about it and claim you as their disciples.” -Gal 6:13
“For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters. Rather, what matters is being a new creation.” -Gal 6:15
“For there are many who rebel against right teaching; they engage in useless talk and deceive people. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. They must be silenced. By their wrong teaching, they have already turned whole families away from the truth. Such teachers only want your money” – Titus 1:10-11
“Watch out for those wicked men – dangerous dogs, I call them – who say you must be circumcised. Beware of the evil doers. Beware of the mutilation. For it isn’t the cutting of our bodies that makes us children of God; it is worshiping him with our spirits.” – Phil 3:2-3
“But each of you should remain in the place in life that the Lord has given you. Stay as you were when God chose you. Was a man already circumcised [Old Covenant] when God chose him? Then he should not become uncircumcised. Was he uncircumcised [New Covenant] when God chose him? Then he should not be circumcised. Being circumcised means nothing. Being uncircumcised means nothing. Doing what God commands is what counts.” -1 Cor. 7:17-19
“Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching, saying, ‘Moses commanded you to be circumcised. If you aren’t, you can’t be saved.’ But Paul and Barnabas didn’t agree with this, argued strongly with them, and were appointed to go up to Jerusalem with other believers chosen to go with them. The apostles and elders met together to consider this question. […] Peter got up and spoke to them, ‘Brothers, you know that some time ago God chose me to take the good news to unbelievers. He wanted them to hear the good news and believe. God knows the human heart. […] Now then, why are you trying to test God? You test him when you put a heavy load on the believers’ shoulders [regarding circumcision]. Our people of long ago couldn’t carry that load. We can’t either.” -Acts 15:1-2, 6-10
“Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.” -1 Tim 4:7
Kazik Kaczon says
The practice of circumcision is abuse
To irreversibly alter a baby’s body for superstitious, religious or cultural reasons is a criminal act
Because we are born totally dependent upon the adults in our lives to create a safe and nurturing world free of dysfunction
Venetia Gunn-King says
http://britishorthodox.org/…/issue-122-circumcision-and-th…/ A history of Christianity and Circumcision…”the collective problems of castration, penile amputation and circumcision… grouped together because they were all considered to be undesirable mutilation of the body, God’s perfect creation. This thinking of the perfection of human body as the handmade of God had been the foundation of traditional Christian teaching on matters related to mutilation of the body – God’s creation should not be tampered with. The three practices were, therefore, all banned by earlier ecclesiastical law, putting those who performed any of them under sanctions.” This applies to *all* Christian traditions.
Tony Axtell says
I hope whatever this “Little Images” group is about and teaches, I only hope that it will educate in a truthful manner and not be too restricting to what they feel the learners should or shouldn’t hear. It’s very important to learn of the truth from sources that live this truth of reality. It’s very important and crucial to understanding the magnitude of this issue.
Tony Axtell says
I hope whatever this “Little Images” group is about and teaches, I only hope that it will educate in a truthful manner and not be too restricting to what they feel the learners should or shouldn’t hear. It’s very important to learn of the truth from sources that live this truth of reality. It’s very important and crucial to understanding the magnitude of this issue.
Gino Vincenzini says
The truth is on our side thankfully. Just because God established a covenant in the OT with Abraham doesn’t mean that it doesn’t soundly condemn the practice in the NT fulfillment.
Gino Vincenzini says
I think Leonard Glick gets it wrong in his JEPD theory based explanation that Genesis 17 was added in by scribes looking to justify a basis for the circumcision ordinance. At best it’s speculation
Pete says
Yeah, while that book is helpful in several parts, that particular section is probably too speculative. You should check out Rubin’s research and see if it makes more sense for you. http://www.i2researchhub.org/articles/brit-milah-a-study-of-change-in-custom/
Sarah Landes says
My son has his whole penis. That’s his decision to make, not mine.
Nicole Colley says
My intact boys have never had issues! It’s been so easy! I see alot of moms in my mom groups on Facebook with circumcised boys and they are always having problems. “I think he needs to be recircumcised… Hes bleeding too much….he keeps grabbing his penis and crying…. ” I never know how to respond. Ya we have boys and they all have penises but when it comes to intact or circumcised its almost two completely different genitals.
Being Born A Boy Does Not Require Surgical Correction says
Intact is in
Emergency Nurse says
Yet another complication- circumcision can ruin the breastfeeding relationship! A mom told me a story just yesterday, her son was 2 days old when he was circumcised, and he refused to eat for 6 hours after! Then he refused breastfeeding completely! The La Leche League books from the 1990’s warned that circumcision can lead to problems breastfeeding due to the pain the infant is in for the next 7-10 days. Think about this: The USA has the highest infant circumcision rate of any industrialized nation, yet we also have one of the lowest breastfeeding rate! #CIRCUMCISIONAFFECTSBREASTFEEDING
Bryan says
Wow, Hannah. This is simply fantastic! Thank you for writing this! It’s also refreshing to encounter a biblical christian perspective.
I would add there are many other complications, even fatal or debilitating ones. Moreover, there are inherently sexual and emotional/psychological issues that occur to every individual that is circumcised, in varied ways.
Sexually, the form and function of our penises are reduced and radically changed. Not just the mobility of the prepuce, and the sophisticated neurology of the frenular delta, but even the vascular system is reduced. Yet, as you point out, they are uanware and believe it to be normal. In America, we have commercials teaching men that 1/2 of all men over 40 suffer ED. Yet in non-circumcising cultures (most of which are), the age is much later (about 70 I believe).
Psychologically/Emotionally: Recent evidence implies that circumcision could be a factor in autism. Evidence shows that emotional/mental illness is much higher in circumcised men. Alexithymia (classified as a “personality trait disorder” in describing people who are unable to describe their emotions), for example, is found 60% more in circumcised men than in intact men. When I was in college, one my upper level psychology professors was talking about how ‘all boys are brain damaged.’ He went on to tell the class about a study that showed damage to the corpus collasum (the area that connects the two halves of the brain), in men, which explained why men are less capable of speaking (left brain) their emotions (right brain). He went on to tell the class that this is inherent in boys, that testosterone damages the male brain in the womb. That it’s natural. Americans believe this is normal. And they’ve taken great scientific strides to make it appear that way. Even though alexithymia, which is associated with damage to the corpus collasum, and is the characteristic that my professor was describing among males, is higher in circumcised boys. I can’t help but wonder if they used only Americans in the study. I feel like it was mostly American and a few Canadian men. Studies have shown that circumcision causes a reduced threshold for pain (something else that same professor taught — that girls ‘naturally’ have a higher tolerance for pain). Separate studies show that severe trauma, especially in infancy and early childhood, causes not only neurological reorganization, but brain cell death! Further, trauma, especially in early childhood, causes a whole host of psychological problems. Self-image is also damaged, which impacts ones emotional/psychological well-being.
Infections from circumcision can kill and cause other issues, like organ and brain damage. I have debilitating and progressive brain damage which began when I was circumcised, from my wound becoming infected with Group A Beta-Hemolytic Strep (GABHS), in addition to other post-traumatic issues, and issues from the mutilation itself.
Lastly, in line with the comments regarding alexithymia and brain damage, especially for the christian to understand, this appears to be the purpose of circumcision in Egypt and other cultures — as a way of creating and controlling slaves. Horus is associated with the practice (son of Isis and Osiris). The ‘eye of Horus’ (aka eye of Lucifer/all-seeing eye) is also called Wadjet or Utchat, and it is stylized from a cross section of the brain containing the Thalamus, the Hypothalamus, the Corpus Callosum and the Medulla Oblongata. Remembering that the ancient Egyptians knew a lot about the human brain and had dissected it extensively, I do find it odd that the pagan god of circumcision (Horus)’s symbol is represented as an area of the brain controlled by the Egyptian slavery practice of circumcision. Paul used words like slave to represent people under the bondage of the Old Covenant law and expressly forbade the practice. Modern slave-soldier masters, like Kony and Boko Haram, use torture techniques like circumcision to control their soldiers (kidnapped children). Much can be said about circumcisions role in war and aggression, even the serial killer phenomena.
I would go a lot further than you were maybe willing to go, since this is a christian article, and state that circumcision is a means for the devil to control people. The devil is, after all, the ‘god of this world.’
Ron Low says
EVERY circumcision alters sex dramatically for a person who could just as easily be left alone to make his own choice later. And worse UNintended effects are also common.
A medical intervention may be ethically imposed with only proxy (parental) consent IF waiting for the patient’s informed consent would lead to net harm and WHEN less-destructive options are exhausted. Forced genital cutting fails this test decidedly.
Sasic Mya Merdew says
Leia Caitie
Anonymous says
Can I ask what advice you have for a mama who has a VERY hurting heart because she ignorantly did circumcise her boys? 😭😭😭
The Guardian Angell says
As a former boy-child, I concur.
Darillyn Lamb Starr says
My one son who was circumcised before I got him had lots of problems. Every told me “Oh, but you are the only one who has had a problem” and then there were times they couldn’t make rehearsal because their sons weree having some sort of circumcision revision. It was like people expected such things, so they thought that was “normal”.
Rowenna Anderson says
My brothers and my cousins and almost every male I know of is UNcircumcised, and I’ve only heard of one person having a problem of the sort that’s used for scaremongering.
Sophie Page says
Briot Nehring
Joey Moore says
Can’t wait until people get that through their thick skulls! Nothing worse than hearing – ‘Oh you had a crappy doctor perform your completely unnecessary genital surgery, be angry with them because that shouldn’t stop others from forcing the same unnecessary surgery onto their sons!’
Emily Lauer says
😞
Karen Kennedy says
Although the issues mentioned are, unfortunately, ‘normal’ in that they occur in the majority of boys whose prepuce was amputated at birth. Especially the cracked, dry glans – not normal, or ok – but inevitable.
Anonymous says
Yuuup, you grow up randomly overhearing about these issues, jokes even, or having your own, then you learn the truth and are so sad and angered by the ignorance and lies.
Anonymous says
These are from a plain old regular moms group I’m in….. countless people saying their child had complications and repeat surgeries. These are just a few examples… so sad. And of course this isn’t even touching on issues later in life….
Anonymous says
Anonymous says
Anonymous says
Yes!!!!