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“Stop the piercing” has become the rallying cry of a new petition that has started to circulate in the U.K. and looks to make baby ear-piercing illegal.
According to Today, the petition to ban baby ear-piercing has "gathered more than 36,000 signatures" and started to heat conversation among parents internationally about whether it should be legal starting at a certain age.
Susan Ingram started the movement on the petition website 38 Degrees and is asking the U.K. minister of state to set a minimum age requirement for children and families to pierce ears, which would make it illegal for babies and toddlers to have them done. The petition's description calls baby ear-piercing "a form of child cruelty" and that it "serves no purpose other than to satisfy the parent's vanity."
While the petition has gained a lot of support, there are some that don't find anything wrong with it and cite South America and Spain as two places that pierce ears at a very young age. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says that "if the piercing is performed in a sterile environment and is cared for, there is little risk."
They also recommend waiting for the child to be old enough to ask for the piercing rather than just doing it early on.
The AAP says that using rubbing alcohol or other disinfectants when piercing ears is a good way to minimize the chances of infection. They recommend applying them again at least two times a day after the piercing occurs.
Read more at Today.
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