SecularFrummy,
Why are so many people okay with causing pain to infants?
I don’t think that this is a fair allegation to make regarding the posters in this thread. Based on your statement’s implications, infants should not be vaccinated (painful) or restrained in car seats (upsetting) without consent.
I think it’s totally valid to argue that pierced ears are not worth the potential trauma to an infant, and I would agree with you. Others disagree, believing that the young girl will almost certainly want pierced ears when older, and the benefits of getting it done in infancy (some were stated above) outweigh the prospect for transient pain that will not be remembered when the girl is older. While I personally disagree with the latter argument, it doesn’t make its supporters callous towards infants.