Deciding whether or not to circumcise is a complex decision, and all parents want to do what's best for their children (at least, all the ones I talk to!). Parents, especially those outside of Muslim and Jewish communities, often have questions about whether or not to circumcise. While it's still prevalent in American society (about 58.3% in the U.S. in 2010, compared to 30% in Canada), it's becoming less so (the rate was 64.5% in 1979), the reasons for which are cultural, medical, and in some cases economic (some insurance companies no longer cover the procedure). There are also an increasing number of anti-circumcision websites, with varying tones, and it can be tough navigating their resources when some are extremely negative. To try to make it easier, I've collected a few articles and videos here discussing various aspects of circumcision, which will evolve as I find things to add.

Primer on the Penis

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DD2yW7AaZFw&w=560&h=315]

Ken McGrath, Senior Lecturer in Pathology at the Faculty of Health, Auckland University

Pediatric & Health Organizations

Babies and Pain

Pain and Your Infant: Medical Procedures, Circumcision, and Teething, University of Michigan

On Circumcision and American Culture

Americans Are Learning to Love the Foreskin, The Atlantic, August 22, 2013
The Circumcision Wars: What's a Parent to do? The Atlantic, July 29, 2013
Circumcise or Don't, Quandary for Parents, The New York Times, August 22, 2011
Explaining the Drop in Circumcision Rates, TIME, August 22, 2013
The Case Against the Case Against Circumcision, New York Magazine, October 18, 2009
How Circumcision Broke the Internet, Slate, September 18, 2013

Why Not to Circumcise

The health organizations in the second set of links above list some of the presumed medical benefits of circumcision. Below are some arguments against it.