Letter: Unkind cut

Sean Bartlett
Tuesday 22 December 1998 19:02 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Sir: So Jack Shamash circumcised his son knowing the risks and arguments against it because, as he says, "I don't really want my son to look different from me." So now we can amputate healthy tissue from our infants for aesthetic reasons. Where will this end? Is there any other part of a child that parents can remove because it doesn't conform to their sense of what looks nice?

Infants are born with foreskins because it is an integral part of the anatomy, not an optional extra. Parents may at the moment have the legal right to subject their sons to surgery without anaesthetic, but do they have the moral right?

As baby Nathan grows I hope his parents keep a copy of The Independent. Then he will truly know that his parents did not traumatise and mutilate him in ignorance, but were completely aware of the risks and damage they were subjecting him to.

SEAN BARTLETT

London SE5

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in