Understanding Circumcision
Thank
you for having the courage to visit this page. The subject of
circumcision is not a pleasant subject to address and yet it is
essential that we so do. You can make a difference in the life of a
child. I invite you to read on.
I'll tell you how I discovered the TRUTH about circumcision.
In
1999 the cruelty of circumcision was brought to my attention by two
individuals: John McCarton, from Oregon, and my eldest daughter,
Tamara. John brought to my attention the depth of physical, emotional
and mental pain caused by this custom of mutilation. Tamara revealed
to me the horrors of female circumcision, of which I was totally
unaware. This was not a subject I wanted to pursue. Once I learned
the facts, I was deeply saddened, realizing the suffering that
innocent children endured was because of a “custom”.
When
I learned that a dear friend of mine and her husband were expecting
their first child I was delighted. I pondered what I might be able to
give to the father at the shower. Within days, the story, "Daddy, Why Are We Different?" came to me!
Many
families today
decide to go through with circumcision simply because the father
wants his son to “look like him”. It is my desire that this story
addresses such thinking. Much
information is available today, ruling out past beliefs that
indicated there were benefits from circumcision.
Every parent has a
responsibility to understand this information. Decisions need to be
based on the truth that is known today. Every
medical association in the world which has considered the issue has
refused to endorse routine circumcision. Circumcision
is painful and cruel. We must address this custom and bring new
understanding to this subject.
My
son was born with cerebral palsy. He taught me to pay attention to
nonverbal, unspoken body language. He is able to say hundreds of
words with his expressions and body language. It has become part of
my mission to give a voice to the voiceless, to listen to children
through their body, mind and heart—to hear the unspoken.
In the
case of circumcision, the cries, the shock, the trauma children have
experienced and many children are continuing to experience daily is
clearly enough to say: No
more! We must speak
up and act on the behalf of the children.
It
is the responsibility of parents to make decisions consciously. We
must parent by
choice—not chance.
We must listen and see
in a ‘new way’
and act accordingly,
so that our children may have a loving childhood, one without the
added torment of circumcision.
Children
are so precious and have wonderful gifts and talents to share. Let us
take action to insure that unnecessary pain is not inflicted on our
children. Feeling safe and secure, surrounded with love, allows them
to easily and effortlessly bring their perceptions, gifts and talents
to light.
DADDY, WHY ARE WE DIFFERENT?
The revised story, updated resources as well as the personal story of a Jewish family making the decision about circumcision that forever changed their lives is in the updated version above and available for $10.00 from PayPal.
Below is an older version of the story and resources for no charge.
