My Teenaged Son Opted For Circumcision

Posting Date: 09/07/2001

Dave: I called several months ago about my teenage son who wanted to be circumcised. I lost the battle; he went ahead and had it done. He?s 14.

Dr. Dean: That?s a very interesting thing, because as you know, most doctors now would consider that plastic surgery. You could compare it to a 14-year-old girl getting her breasts enlarged because she does not like how she looks. You live in the West, right?

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Dave: Yes.

Dr. Dean: As I recall, most boys in the West aren?t circumcised anymore. It?s a shame that he succumbed. And yet, I understand. Young people are very sensitive, so give me the outcome.

Dave: He did it and he?s very happy. Of course, the first few days, he was not very happy, but now he is.

Dr. Dean: Well, you don?t have to discuss this with me, but I assume that he was not sexually active yet?

Dave: No. It was a locker room situation. It was peer pressure in a sense. He?s my youngest.

Dr. Dean: I?ve got a bunch of boys who are uncircumcised and they?re all grown up now and I never heard anything out of them about it. I supposed someday, like many men do, when he thinks about it, he may regret it, but kids at that age are very emotional. It?s difficult to get them to think about things like we do.

Dave: I was disappointed with the pediatrician; I thought he would help a little more than he did. He encouraged it, which wasn?t too pleasant.

Dr. Dean: Personally, I think it?s unethical. And someday, I believe this will be outlawed. I think someday it will be considered plastic surgery.

Dave: I believe that. He did the surgery in his office.

Dr. Dean: Oh, my gosh.

Dave: And that worried me because it was a major thing to do, and he did it right in his office. I was kind of concerned.

Dr. Dean: The pediatrician did this? No!

Dave: Yes, the pediatrician did it.

Dr. Dean: You?re kidding me! That?s urological surgery. A pediatrician has no business doing that.

Dave: That?s what I was concerned about. Luckily, everything turned out okay.

Dr. Dean: That?s real surgery and it?s usually done by urologists, and pediatricians A) do not do surgery, unless they?re a pediatric surgeon and, B) listen, it?s water under the bridge, what can I say? You put up a good fight; you acted in the best interested of your son at the time and did the best that you could.