Circumcision
Is there ever any reason to call a parent a child molester or an abuser, unless they are one? Unfortunately, any time the topic of circumcision is mentioned online, horrifying accusations fly at well-meaning parents, like myself and a mother named Christine from Peterborough, Ontario.
As Christine explained to City News, "It was a picture of my son. The title from the picture was 'Michael did really good today at his circumcision.'"
This innocuous status was reposted to the site of the anti-circumcision group Mutilation Watch. As a result, Christine was targeted by anti-circumcision trolls from the depths of the internet with cruel and threatening comments.
Because of a personal and even common decision that she made on behalf of her child, Christine was called a child abuser and a child molester. The trolls claimed that this mom only circumcised her son in order to perform oral sex on him and that her child should be taken away. As the last straw, the angry mob threatened to burn down her house.
Christine said, "One woman said she was in Peterborough a lot and even got my address and sent me a picture of an old house that I used to live in. It was really scary."
While the group Mutilation Watch maintains that it is their mission to troll social media to share the "true horrors of circumcision" with the world, according to group admin Krystal Smith, the execution leaves much to be desired. This group claims to be worried about innocent babies harmed in a routine procedure, yet their harassment of parents is completely over the line.
You'd think we would have learned by now that senseless and hateful trolling isn't noble, it's sick. Trolling like this isn't changing anyone's mind. It actually makes the anti-circumcision argument look worse.
Here's the thing: There are plenty of issues parents are going to disagree on, some more provocative than others. I circumcised my kids, you didn't. I vaccinate my kids, you don't. You are an extended breastfeeder, I'm not. I may feel strongly and get fired up about a few of these topics, but in the vast majority of cases, I am going to concede that the decision is up to the parent.
No matter how you feel about circumcision, have a little respect. There are children being neglected, abused and even murdered every day right here in the U.S., and it literally sickens me to write about these tragic events. But nope — forget about the kids who are in real trouble. Anti-circumcision trolls would rather waste their time and effort targeting loving parents who took their baby in for a perfectly legal elective procedure.
For those who have the audacity to threaten a mom who circumcised, get your priorities straight.
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