For those of you who don’t have children, you may not have given a single thought about the importance of why circumcisions are performed in today’s world and the background behind it. The surgery of circumcisions has been done for thousands of years and to this day there is a huge debate on whether the surgery is medically necessary and if it should even be performed. The practice of routine infant circumcision is a painful, potentially harmful, and an unethical procedure that serves no medical necessity and has no tangible health benefits.
The practice of Circumcisions is older than recorded history. There are many theories to explain the origin of the practice. It is believed to have developed among a variety of cultures around the world.
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It ignores many surgical risks including death, the actual function of the foreskin, trauma of circumcision, the pain caused on infants from the procedure, and many other deficiencies.
The AAP’s policy on circumcisions differs greatly from other publically recognized international medical groups policies. In Australia, the 2010 Royal Australasian College of Physicians’ policy concluded, “There is currently insufficient evidence to recommend routine newborn circumcision”(Na, Angelika).”Several other Groups from Canada and England supported the statement from Australia. Many other countries to include Sweden, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark have all stated that there is no justification for performing the procedure without medical urgency.
From an ethical standpoint, having the procedure done on an infant is a violation of human rights. With no relevant medical reason or facts behind the claimed benefits of the procedure it is merely a cosmetic surgery commonly practiced for spiritual reasons and should not be practiced. Doctors take an oath to do no harm to their patients. They are causing harm and removing perfectly healthy tissue that permanently alters the infant’s