Mom, why did you circumcise me? Part 1

Watch Part 2 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5kaEEckXmU#t=10m23s

This excellent personal documentary both in English and Dutch with english subtitles, follows Dutch journalist/filmmaker Michael Schaap as he learns from interviewing his own mother, circumcisers, politicians, Jews, Muslims, a restored British man, and some American activists.

Feedback:

"I'm a Dutch born male who came to Canada in 1981. In most European countries circumcisions are only performed for religious reasons.

In 1989 I married a fine Canadian girl and we had our first son in February of 1992. Even though my wife had not seen an uncircumcised penis until she married me, she realized that circumcision without a medical reasons was a form of abuse. There had been some comments made by my inlaws, but after a talk with them they also realized that there was no reason for our son to be circumcised or for that matter any child without medical need there off.

December of 1992 we adopted a son and one of the first questions to us was; "do you want him to be circumcised?" Of course our answer was no.

The worlds view point regarding circumcision needs to change. Most people will admit that amputating the clitoral hood of females is abuse. There is no difference in amputating the glans hood of males.

Thank you and please continue to raise awareness about involuntary circumcision."

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• baby
• birth
• infant
• pregnant
• mother
• circumcision
• religion
• jewish
• semitism
• normalize
• trivialize
• documentary
• circumcisers
• cutters
• territorial
• mark
• possession
• object
• covenant
• ritual
• rite
• birthrite
• birthright
• denial
• truth
• lies
• reduce
• denudement
• harm
• hurt
• sexual
• preferences
• gay
• racist
• sexist

[everabstract]

Right, and due to YOUR personal experience all newborn babies should also be docked. You had a choice in the matter. No one is saying that circumcision should not exist or that a man should be denied a choice. We're saying that it should not be a decision made by parents or physicians on a child who is too young to consent to the procedure.

[LifesVoyager]

DerekRubin : I'm sure you're right. You ARE being lied to and misled. (Probably true of most nations, I suspect).

Why US surgeons are so obsessed with this mutilation, I can't imagine but I have heard some (US) people state that an uncircumcised penis is filthy! Well, here in the UK we have soap and showers and know how to use them.

(I'm amused at the +5 rating for my comment.)

[lemondropsforever]

I think its great that men are FINALLY speaking out! Where I live circ. is very much the norm and parents are not well informed about the true function of the foreskin. I'm surprised it's not more of an issue among men here where I live, maybe since most of them are circ, the just don't know the difference. Shouldn't they be in the streets holding signs in front of the hospital protesting this. How do most men truly feel about this, I'm really curious to know. 

[mebirdo]

It breaks my heart that those beautiful, perfect boys are put through an unnecessary ordeal that is not their choice.

I hope one day it will be made illegal. Good film, thanks

[Gakkonogakushu]

If you circumcise your boys I will make sure to tell them about it so they can resent you for it later when all the information is readily available now. 6 year old boy, mommie what's circumcision. The information may not have been available before but now it is.

[seymourLlama]

That is painful to watch.

[Drewisafish]

This reduced me to tears. Uneeded (needed being medical reasons) circumsicion is a wrong and horrific practise. I hate the bastarded mindset of those heartless and cruel doctors.

[MrQuagmire26]

@everabstract I agree, thats what i always meant too. Don't fix something that's not broken in the first place, if a person in adulthood says "yes, I want to do this" fine. But doing this to poor infants? forget it.

[dawkinsfan41]

It started out as a barbaric religious practice, but now it's just another way for greedy doctors to pad up your bill. A physician who actually took the Hippocratic Oath seriously would never do this, but they are few and far between these days. Americans don't go into medicine to help people, they just want money. I've met dozens of doctors over the last few years, and I can only think of one I would even be friends with.

[adambastard]

Any circumcision is now called Genital Mutilation

[stkcarm5]

@everabstract

Check out foregen as they're raising money to regenerate everything lost to circumcision, google foregen

[trident3b]

@MichaelWarriorOfLove: I so utterly agree with you. It is a vile sick primitive and deranged practice. It also violates human rights. Every person has the basic right to maintain what he/she was born with and no one has the right to mutilate another person for life. When I see the kids STRAPPED DOWN while some bastard cuts him up, I feel ultra sick and full of contempt for those who commit these atrocities.