Changing Choices With Education

If someone were to ask me if I had planned to have my sons circumcised, a few weeks ago I would have thought it was an odd question. Then I would have answered,"Yes!" with little or no hesitation. If the questioner asked why, I would answer, "well everyone else does, millions of people can't be wrong." I now realize how sad that answer is and but how true it seems for many people.

I remember an afternoon in September when I watched a news broadcast about a South African girl who was circumcised. I recall the girl describing the horrific scene stating that she was pleading and crying as they held her down and cut her clitoris with a knife. She was given no anesthesia and was told by her parents that the circumcision was required to sustain her sexual
urges. The reporter explained that the risk of infections, excessive bleeding and shock were only a few of the potential dangers that awaited her after the operation. I was appalled to later learn that there were many young girls living in the United States that were in danger of such a circumcision. I was outraged by this event. Who could put their child though such a painful procedure without justifiable reasoning? What was wrong with her parents? As the broadcast ended I expressed empathy but rejoicing in the knowledge that I would never do anything like that to my children; or so I thought.

Before conducting research for this essay contest my ideas and beliefs in relation to circumcision were very much a contrary to reality. The reason was that I had no true knowledge of circumcision. I was completely unaware of the risks, long term affects, and deceitfulness of popular hoaxes. I find it interesting that I made no connection between my dislike of female circumcision and my acceptance of male circumcision. I was ashamed to realize that what I had thought as a small unimportant surgery was indeed something much more dangerous and unnecessary.

During my realization, I wondered if any of my false ideas were shared among the general public. In order to gain a better understanding of the public's ideas on circumcision I decide to conduct a small survey. I surveyed 30 college students whom were interested in raising children, 15 males and 15 females. The survey consisted of the following questions. Would you circumcise your male children, why or why not? Furthermore, would you circumcise your female children, why or why not? All 30 students claimed that they would not circumcise their daughters and most found it absurd and irrational that I would even ask this question. However when asked about their sons, all 30 students claimed they would circumcise. These results lead me to believe that cultural ideals highly influenced the choice to circumcise. Most of the men explained that they are circumcised, everyone they know is circumcised and therefore their sons should be circumcised as well. On the other side of the spectrum the majority of female students cited medical taboos to justify their choice to circumcise. Eleven female students stated that they had heard that circumcision prevents infection and the contraction of deadly diseases. Judging from this small survey I believe that a majority of American parents that give consent to circumcise feel pressured by cultural influences, and are uneducated about the procedure itself.

I believe a parent has no grounds to give consent to circumcise their child. That is the child's decision. Yet I also believe that fighting for this principal will not bring about public awareness. As illogical as it seems, a majority of the American public will not support an argument that gives their child control over his or her own welfare. In order to put an end to unnecessary circumcisions in the United States, the cultural acceptance of such circumcisions must be changed. To accomplish this future parents must be exposed to the truth, they must educated.

The small survey I conducted supported my idea that the main problem with circumcision in the United States is a lack of education. Before my research, I was a victim of this ignorance. I had no idea that the circumcision of males in United States was identical to the circumcision of the females in South Africa. Like that of females, male circumcision is performed without anesthesia and can lead to infection, excessive blood loss, and occasionally even death. Yet female circumcision is outlawed in the United States, where the circumcision of males is the highest in the world. Future parents do not see this hypocritical connection. They are unaware of the risks and place their beliefs in taboos, such as the taboos that circumcision is required for hygiene reasons and it prevents the contraction of serious diseases. I was frightened to learn that most circumcisions have no medical purpose behind them; I had always relied on the taboos. I believe that parents trust circumcision because it is so highly practiced in the United States; they'll even trust without questioning.

Another finding I inquired in my survey was that most students were unaware that it is necessary for parents to give consent for their children to be circumcised. "Why are you asking me this, I mean they just do it anyway, its part of the birth procedure," one of the students replied. Most of the students believed that the doctor would automatically know to circumcise their child, "after all this is America." This finding leads me to believe that the American Academy of Pediatrics should install regulations that require all physicians to educated patents about the risks, taboos and alternatives to circumcision. Physicians should educate rather than merely discuss circumcision as if it was a simple choice such as "What color blanket would you like your newborn wrapped in."

As the walls of pro circumcision stand tall, it will take a great many efforts at spreading education to knock it down. Regulations in the medical profession will help a great deal to educate. However I turn to a much more seen, discussed and (in the minds of the audience) reliable source, the media.

What better way to educate the American public than the media? The opinion of the American people is built on their perceptions of information provided by the popular media. A few articles in scientific journals do very little, as a minority of individuals will actually read them. In my mind I see the cover of Time Magazine with the headline, "Circumcision: Why do we do it?" I see news broadcasts, not about female victims in South Africa, but about the many male victims in the United States. Large media coverage is not an easy commodity to obtain and it will take a great deal of effort to acquire. The simple truth, nevertheless, is that the American public could be educated rather quickly and effectively if the truth about circumcision was displayed in the media. Circumcision needs to be shown for what it truly is and this truth will gradually turn the issue from an unspoken public acceptance to a ridiculed unpopular practice.

If future parents are properly educated about the risks of circumcision and the falseness of its taboos, gradually parents will refuse to give their consent to such a meaningless operation. In the United States we have a tendency to make decisions based upon cultural acceptance. To counter this characteristic, public opinion could be altered by the use of popular media. The results will initiate a decrease in popularity and cultural acceptance of circumcision. I believe that only through education is this dream possible. I consider myself to be a natural example. After all if someone were to ask me today if I would have my sons circumcised, I would have responded, "No, of course I wouldn't," without any hesitation.