Should I, eek, declaw my cat? :(

To begin, I would like to note that I do not agree with this practice and have NEVER had it done to any of my cats before. The situation, however, has me making a tough decision… read on:

I will be living with a new roommate next year. I will be bringing my dog and my cat. She also will be bringing a cat to the apartment. Unfortunately, she has already had her cat completely declawed because he is currently living with her boyfriend and he has a leather couch. My cat is NOT declawed. He is a very “aggressive” player. The reason I am bringing him is because he plays with my dog like he is a dog. He has recently learned to use a scratching post, so it’s not like he’ll scratch the furniture… it is more a problem that if he and the other cat play – he will be at a major advantage. My mother and the new roommate have both questioned whether or not I will be at least front declawing him. He is definitely an inside cat only, unlike all other cats I have ever had – so it isn’t like he’ll have a problem defending himself outside. I do not, however, want his personality to change or for him to suffer. I’ve heard that declawing can be a very painful process for the cat and can leave psychological scars.

Basically, what do you recommend in this situation? Should I have him declawed? Should I wait until we move in together to see if him having claws is a problem? Help. :(