circumcision
Experts Discourage use of Circumcision
The
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a policy statement
yesterday declaring that routine male neonatal circumcision is unwarranted by scientific evidence. The
new policy overturned a 1989 AAP statement, which concluded
that circumcision had both risks and benefits. In contrast
to the previous statement, the current task force found that, "Existing
scientific evidence demonstrates potential medical benefits
of newborn male circumcision; however, these data are not
sufficient to recommend routine neonatal circumcision." And,
the task force stressed that any benefits of the surgery-are
minor."
However, the experts noted that, "it is legitimate for parents to take into
account cultural, religious, and ethnic traditions, in addition to medical
factors, when making this decision.' The study's authors also sited evidence
indicating that infants undergoing circumcision experience pain. Consequently,
the statement recommended analgesic use during the procedure.
Task Force on Circumcision. Circumcision
policy statement Pediatrics 1999; 103 (3): 686-693
Note: For more information
related to this topic, contact: Chiropractic Circumcision
Information Resource Center (CC/RC) 405 SE Delaware
#208,Ankeny, IA 50021
Web Sites of Interest
Information
for Parents
Frequently
Asked Questions about Infant Circumcision
Circumcision
Resource Center
Mothers Against Circumcision
National Organization of Circumcision
Information Resource Centers
Doctors Opposing
Circumcision
Circumcision Reference Library
ACT
Jewish Associates
of CRC
Circumcision Articles
The Case Against Circumcision
In one of our most-requested
articles, Mothering explores why circumcision is hardly ever necessary, and
how parents can empower themselves to avoid ceding to the "claims" of
the billion-dollar-a-year circumcision industry.
Paul M. Fleiss, MD The
Case Against Circumcision Mothering: The Magazine of Natural
Family Living, Winter 1997, pp. 36-45
Protect Your Uncircumcised Son: Expert
Medical Advice for Parents
Increasing numbers of American parents today are protecting their sons from
routine circumcision at birth, but as their boys grow up, they often find themselves
at odds with doctors who cling to old-fashioned opinions and hospital routines.
Paul M. Fleiss, MD Protect
Your Uncircumcised Son Mothering: The Magazine of Natural
Family Living
If you ask an obstetrician why male babies
are routinely circumcised in Western hospitals, he will probably
give you one of 10 standard answers.
1. Removing the penile foreskin
guards against urinary tract infection
There is no
evidence that this claim is true. There is, however, significant
evidence that the hospital setting for birth, particularly
the newborn nursery, is responsible for a significant increase
in the rate of infant urinary tract infection. Babies (of either
sex) born in the hospital and taken to the newborn nursery
are at much greater risk of urinary tract infection from stray
bacteria than are home-birthed infants. (See Reason #71, "You don't want your baby exposed
to hospital germs.")
2. An intact foreskin makes proper
cleaning of the penis difficult
If hygiene were really
the concern, obstetricians would also cut off your baby's ears
and toes at birth. Since obstetricians don't do that, we know
that cleanliness is not the issue. Further, a girl's genitals
are far more difficult to keep clean than a boy's, and we don't
see clitoral circumcision gaining acceptance in Western hospitals.
Obviously there is another reason besides concern over "cleanliness" that
compels obstetricians to cut off the most sensitive tissue
on your baby boy's body, often without anesthesia and in
some cases without informing you beforehand.
3. An intact foreskin increases
the risk of cancer
There is no evidence that this claim is
true.
4. Men who remain intact may give
their wives vaginal disorders
There is no evidence that this claim is
true. In fact, the foreskin protects the vagina from frictional
irritation during intercourse
5. An intact boy may be confused
by the difference between his penis and his circumcised
father's penis, and he may suffer psychological problems
as a result
There is no evidence that this claim is
true.
6. Circumcision guards against contracting
sexually transmitted diseases
There is no evidence that this claim is
true. Contrary to popular belief, circumcising male infants
does not reduce their risk of contracting sexually transmitted
diseases, a benefit that physicians have long been associated
with the practice. In fact, circumcised men were found to
be slightly more likely to contract a sexually transmitted
disease in a study of 1,410 American men. While none of the
intact men in this study ever had chlamydia, for instance,
26 of the circumcised men had contracted the disease.
7. Circumcision guards against herpes
There is no evidence that this claim is
true.
8. Circumcision guards against AIDS
There is no evidence that this claim is
true.
9. Circumcision reduces the risk
of "sexual perversion."
Although circumcision has been performed
for religious reasons for centuries, the practice became
widespread in the 1870s when physicians thought it would
limit sexual practices such as masturbation and oral sex.
But studies show that men who have been circumcised are more
likely to engage in varied sexual practices. One study shows
that circumcised men are 40 percent more likely than non-circumcised
men to masturbate at least once a month. They are also more
likely to have had homosexual oral sex and heterosexual anal
intercourse.
10. That's just the way it is
Interestingly,
this answer, while devoid of scientific information or expert
analysis of any kind -- analysis that one might expect from
a graduate of years of medical schooling -- is the best answer
your obstetrician can give. That is, it's the best for him.
Since no scientific studies support circumcision, and since
evidence clearly shows that there is no medical or health benefit
derived from circumcision, obstetricians have at least a vague
understanding that linking circumcision with medicine is to
perpetrate fraud. "That's just the way it is" is your obstetrician's
best answer to the question, "Why circumcise?" because it's
an answer that he rightly sees as the easiest way around
the briar patch of parental questioning on this thorny subject.
The subtext of "That's just the way it is" is, "Stop asking
me questions."
Of course, although obstetricians are loathe to think about, or speak the truth
about, the issue of circumcision, childbirth educators, midwives and doulas
cannot be so squeamish. Circumcision rates for male newborns are currently
at 60 percent in U.S. hospitals--an unconscionably high rate.
-Jock Doubleday
Director Natural Woman, Natural Man, Inc.
A California nonprofit corporation
http://www.gentlebirth.org/nwnm.org
jockdoubleday@aol.com