plhogan wrote:What are you talking about? You absolutely can tattoo a child
Don't think so. Not around anywhere I've ever lived anyway -- except maybe in the hill tribes around the Golden Triangle. I would have thought they'd have to be at least 16 for permanent tattoos.
plhogan wrote:you can pierce their ears (you thinking people shouldnt is irrelevant)
I know that, I don't think you should is all.(me thinking people shouldn't is not irrelevant to my opinion

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plhogan wrote:and just because something has a religious basis doesnt make it inherently wrong or evil.
Didn't say it does. What it does do is make it unnecessarily difficult to have a rational conversation about it though.
Scenario#1
Derpmom: My Little girl is vomiting blood.
Ordinaryperson: Well, take her to the hospital!
Derpmom: No. I don't like doctors.
Ordinaryperson: You're a fuckhead. I'm calling child services.
--Derpmom gets cited for endangerment. Child goes to hospital. Child lives.
Scenario#2
Derpmom: My Little girl is vomiting blood.
Ordinaryperson: Well, take her to the doctor.
Derpmom: No, it's against my religion.
Ordinaryperson: Oh, I so respect your right to practice your faith. Have a nice day.
--Derpmom prays. Child dies. Oh well.
(Alternatively, as happened here a few years ago, child services overrules the parent, snatches child, gets child medical attention it needs. Child lives. Derpmom sues city for violating her religious freedom

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plhogan wrote:There are legitimate medical and social reasons for circumcision, and it pretty much has to be done at birth as it's exceptionally painful to do it while older.
I bet it's still pretty painful to do it to a baby. They're just too young to tell you about it. Again, medical reasons, not really in most cases if you have access to soap and water. I can totally see why if you want a population of ignorant desert-dwelling savages to stay healthy it might be a good idea to pretend the creator of the universe forgot to snip off that little bit of flesh so they should go ahead and do it so they don't all get gangrene and die because they're too stupid or there's not enough water to wash. Same with telling them not to eat roadkill that might have died of anthrax.
It is weird though to go hacking bits off babies for your social customs.
There are legitimate social reasons to gouge out your daughter's clitoris and sew her vagina shut too BTW depending on where you live (she'll never get married otherwise, and you won't have any grandkids if you're in Somalia for example -- unless of course she gets gang raped by marauders). Doesn't make it any less of a barbaric custom.
plhogan wrote:How about banning tonsilectomys? Why remove a completely "natural" tumor? Or fix a cleft palate?
False equivalent much? Does anyone cut out a tonsil for social reasons? Tumors and cleft palate are pathologies. Few children are going to die because they have a foreskin. I don't see your point.
Just out of interest, if it wasn't a religiously mandated custom, would you let an old man cut a bit off your kid's weenie and then suck the blood off? Would anybody?
Anyway. Dicks
Bad Dick

Good Dick
