(September 7, 2023 at 10:29 am)FrustratedFool Wrote: Would you be ok with me tattooing my child's penis as an infant if it likewise reduced his chance of having a treatable fungal infection? It seems equivalent. I suspect most would not, and that it is only the cultural acceptability of circumcision in certain locations which causes that inconsistency.
Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I agree that suffering from pain is to be avoided for the most part, and that suffering is always bad. Neither I nor my son suffered from the snip.
To your last point, a parent would have to weigh the risks and benefits and decide for the child. That said, circumcision is a waning practice in western culture in large part because it is unnecessary medically and archaic. It stems from religious practice. It can be risky. It causes pain but usually no harm.
The ear piercing example from brewer is a closer comparison on the suffering scale.
