Male Circumcision and Self-Determination

Every so often the practice of neonatal male circumcision becomes a news item, typically when some medical association issues a statement on the practice. Last week it was the turn of the Danish Medical Association, which recommended the practice be stopped. Prominent among the reasons cited for this conclusion was that the procedure permanently alters a child's body, something which should not be done, the Danish doctors argue, without the informed consent of the person whose body is affected. The Danish doctors' recommendations are in line with most Europeans' thoughts on this issue. By contrast in 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics emphasized that there were definite health benefits to male circumcision, a conclusion which the Centers for Disease Control seconded in draft guidelines in 2014. In particular, male circumcision reduces the risk of infant urinary tract infection and the risk of contracting STDs later in life. There is also a reduced risk of other health problems, such as penile cancer. However, even those who maintain that circumcision has health benefits recognize that the most that can be said in favor of circumcision is that "the health benefits ... outweigh the risks [but] existing scientific evidence is not sufficient to recommend routine circumcision." Although circumcision reduces the risk of developing various medical problems, the overall risk of these medical problems is small, whether one is circumcised or not, especially if one is prudent in...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news