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Parents face so many difficult decisions when it comes to having a child: decisions about nursing, sleep patterns, discipline, teaching methods and, in the case of boys, whether or not to circumcise. In addition to being the most common surgery for males in the U.S., circumcision has been practiced in various cultures for centuries. Yet when it comes to the health and best interest of your newborn, is circumcision the way to go?
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Parents Have the Right and Duty to Protect Their Infant's Health
If the medical side was clear...
Your argument would make sense IF there was a reasonable consensus on whether or not circumcision is truly helpful or not. Now all you have is conflicting studies on both sides of the debate. Many of the older "accurate preventative measures" have been disproven... all the while children keep being circed as doctors try and find a good medical reason for it. Kinda backwards from the procedures you describe.
Unless the actual medical benefit is reasonably clear, then yes, it IS unethical to perform a cosmetic procedure requested by the parents. Also, we aren't talking about an internal organ or teeth that are removed at an older age where ample pain relief is provided, we are talking about removing part of the genitals when there is no current issue and the use of strong pain relief is dangerous. Not to mention possible lifetime emotional issues that can arise from not being left with a choice.
- jserral
August 7, 2008 4:37PM
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