Should parents be allowed to perform cosmetic surgery on children without their consent?

I am referring to a varitey of procedures:


1) Male Circumcision


2) Female Circumcision/ genital mutilation


3) The ';fixing'; of intersexed babies


4) Foot binding or over-corseting of girls





To a lesser extent:


5) Piercings and, hypothetically, tattoos


6) Forcing them to use tanning beds





Ideas? Are some body modifications acceptable, but not others? Where do you draw the line?Should parents be allowed to perform cosmetic surgery on children without their consent?
Now the thorny question of what is defined as ';cosmetic surgery'; arises. Its not that simple. I was in Germany many years ago and my friends observed a boy with ears sticking out from the sides of his head (like Prince Charles only a bit worse). My German friend exclaimed ';omg why don't his parents get that attended to?'; My Canadian friend suggested ';because its cosmetic surgery and bound to cost a wad of money';. My German friend said ';that's not true. The boy is liable to experience psychological problems because of what he looks like. In Germany this procedure is covered by the health care provider'; (she was a nurse).





Is ';circus clown'; or ';freak'; in the eye of the beholder? I don't know. But if health insurance would cover such things I would be not at all hesitant to take advantage of the opportunity, either for myself or dependents.





edit: Vianka


That is a very sad story. Kids are so cruel and something like that SHOULD be covered by the insurance provider. Fix it now before the kid gets any more psychologically damaged than he or she already is. That kid is being abused multiple times every single day over something that can be fixed.Should parents be allowed to perform cosmetic surgery on children without their consent?
You're a question machine. Yes to #1 and #3. No to #2, #4, #5,and #6.





#1 is a harmless tradition and pleasure isn't reduced. #3 is going to help a child mentally. I think a child would be messed up if they realize they are both sexes.


#2 and #4 are cruel. #5 and #6 are unusual.
circumcision (male and female), i say no.


i am really torn on the intersexed babies


foot-binding and over corseting definately no





no to both the last 2








i think that the child should make the decision since it affects them most directly.


i am torn on the intersexed babies though because it could save the child some social trauma later in life, but i still think it should be the child's decision because it is their body.
Actually, I can think of some instances where cosmetic surgery would be beneficial to a child such as fixing a lazy eye or ear surgery if a child's ears stick out so far that other children tease them. Also braces to straighten the teeth. These are all things that can improve the childs confidence and avoid having other children tease them.





My niece has ears that stick out so far that the children at school call her dumbo, but my sister refuses to get them fixed because she believes it is something the child must learn to deal with and should get fixed after he daughter is an adult and if she wishes to do so. Personally, I think my sister is being cruel and just doesn't want to spend the money.
Cleft lip too....in most cases it's a cosmetic procedure not a medical.





Basically no to the rest.
YES FOR SOMETHING THAT HAS TO BE DONE NO FOR SOMETHING THAT CAN WAIT
A very touch subject. I suppose I'd like to say I'm against male circumcision, but sometimes I'm not so sure. And the intersexed babies, I do jump at the chance to say no, yet that's not set in stone. I think of the boy who had a botched circumcision and they tried to pass him off as a female. Wrong on so many levels.





Foot binding is just totally unnecessary and unattractive and anti-women. The same as corseting girls. Should a woman decide to engage in any of them when older, that's there business.





I am so against piercings on children. My ears were pierced unevenly and I don't want to go get two more piercings just to fix them. Just let the kids decide when they get older!!!
1 - not unless its necessary


2. no


3. Once the genetics are decided yes- DNA can tell whether the baby is a male/female.


4. no


5. no


6. no





Correcting defects - like cleft lip/palate, too prominent ears, skin tags, birthmarks, webbing of fingers/feet - ALL YES. In years in the NICU I saw plenty.
I feel it should be an all or nothing sort of thing. We should decide that either it's wrong to perform these surgeries on those who cannot give consent or leave it up to the individual parents.
Only if children are similarly permitted to force cosmetic surgery on their parents. (Fair is fair).


As for someone who thinks MGM is acceptable but ear-piercings are not ..... ugh.
Surgeries carry risk, and should not be taken lightly. That being said, where does one draw the line in a free society? As a parent, it is your job to get your child from point A(childhood) to point B(adulthood) in as complete a package as possible. Who can tell you what is right for your child? The government? The ice-cream man?


Most people have the best interest of their child at heart. I think the most treacherous position applies to a very small percentage of the population.


If this were to be viewed as a crime, one would have to prove intent. It could be analyzed under tort law, but I doubt most surgeries would be validated as tortious.


One would hope that a parent would use a modicum of discretion.
The only case I see that a parent should allow cosmetic surgery is when a child gets burned and need facial reconstruction. Or when a baby have a defect on their face that is fixable by surgery. Waiting for the child to be able to consent would be child abuse.





The line should be drawn:


- When it will harm the child. Like in female circumcision,


- When the child is old enough to talk yes or no.
I am against all of these.





I'm suprised by the number of people who would change intersex babies- DNA is NOT always clear, and one surgery does NOT fix the problem! These children, if treated, will be subjected to horrible, invasive procedures all through out childhood!





I encourage ALL of you to go to the Intersex Society website and read the stories posted there of children who were born intersexed and ';fixed'; by doctors... http://www.isna.org/





The stories are horrific and heartbreaking- ALL of them wish that they had been left alone the way that nature made them. Very, very sad. You want to give a kid emotional problems, a sure way to do it is to subject them to multiple genital procedures and exams throughout their childhood. -Neb
I go back and forth about male circumcision (I'm leaning more toward ';no'; nowadays), but as for everything else, all bets are off. I remember seeing a baby girl with pierced ears and wondering how a parent could put her through that at such a young age.
I think those are all things the children should be able to decide for themselves when they're older. Circumcision never was an issue since I have girls but I did not believe in getting their ears pierced. I waited until they were old enough to ask to get it done. Now, if they would only stop gauging their ears...





The toughest one is ';fixing'; intersexed babies. You might choose a sex for the child and turn out to be totally wrong. If you are wrong, it could have disastrous results for the child. The child may have been changed into one sex but identifies with the other. It's not worth the risk and any surgery should be put off until the child chooses a gender he or she wants to become.
No. If its something you can't do to an adult without their consent, then you shouldn't be able to do it to kids. If it's some disfigurement that is fixable, that could be done. Tanning beds cause skin cancer.