It's hard to find a much more personal decision with newborns than circumcision. For some parents it's an easy thing — do what the family has always done, or for some, do what costs less and/or will cause the least suffering in the future.
It's hard to find a much more personal decision with newborns than circumcision. For some parents it's an easy thing — do what the family has always done, or for some, do what costs less and/or will cause the least suffering in the future.
For at least one family out there, circumcision has basically torn the family apart.
She had no idea that they were going to have that procedure done.
She was in utter shock when she had seen what happened.
She told the BBC, "It was just awful, really, it wasn't very nice, there was all blood there and stuff."
However, the mother ended up getting assistance from the anti-circumcision group Men Do Complain and a human rights lawyer Saimo Chahal QC.
She believes circumcision is "male genital mutilation" and considers it "inhumane."
The mother thinks that the law should change.
"It's even illegal to dock dogs' tails," the mother said. "I've come home crying my eyes out thinking a dog has more rights than my child. There's something seriously not right with it at all. You can protect a dog, you can protect a girl, but not a boy."
And that only happened because she connected with an anti-circumcision group and had a human rights lawyer contact the police on her behalf.
"I am deeply hurt by what has happened to my son and the suffering I have been forced to witness."
They also arrested the doctor who performed the procedure on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent.
The grandparents and the doctor were all later released without charges.
They said that had the doctor gone ahead with the procedure knowing that the mother did not consent, there would likely have been a case for assault, and that he probably should have done more to confirm consent, but under the circumstances it was "not sufficient for there to be a criminal prosecution."
"As a mother I'm still very anxious about his feelings in the future. I strongly feel that the pain I witnessed has had a long-term psychological effect on myself and it's not even my body so I dread to think what my son's mind must feel as it was his body suffering."
"I'm sure any mother would feel the same about not giving up, after witnessing their child suffer unnecessarily. I will fight this until my last breath if I have to, it's the only way I can possibly look my son in his eyes.
"I feel I have failed him."
h/t BBC