Circumcision Decision

Circumcision is a painful and risky surgery that deprives over a million boys each year of healthy, functional tissue, while wasting health care dollars that could be spent on medically necessary
services. Check out the resources on this page, read the "Ten reasons
NOT to circumcise your baby" below, and learn why you should keep your
newborn son intact.

1. Because there is no medical reason for "routine" circumcision of baby boys. No professional medical association in the United States or the rest of the world recommends routine neonatal circumcision. The American
   Medical Association calls it "non-therapeutic." At no time in its 75
   years has the American Academy of Pediatrics ever recommended infant
   circumcision.
2. Because the foreskin is not a birth defect. The foreskin is a normal, sensitive, functional part of the body. In infant boys, the foreskin is attached to the head of the penis (glans) and
   protects it from urine, feces, and irritation; it also protects the
   urinary opening, keeping contaminants from entering the sterile urinary
   tract. Throughout life, the foreskin keeps the glans moist and protects
   it from injury. The foreskin also has an important role in sexual
   pleasure, due to its specialized, erogenous nerve endings and its
   natural gliding and lubricating functions.
3. Because you wouldn't circumcise your baby girl. In the United States, girls of all ages are protected by federal and state laws from genital surgery to which they do not consent, whether
   practiced in medical or non-medical settings, and regardless of the
   religious or cultural preferences of their parents. There is no ethical
   rationale for distinguishing between female and male genital
   alteration. If it is wrong to remove part of a baby girl's healthy
   genitals, then it is wrong to do the same to those of a baby boy.
4. Because your baby does not want to be circumcised. Circumcision painfully and permanently alters a baby boy's genitals, removing healthy, protective, functional tissue from the penis and
   exposing the child to unnecessary pain and medical risks – all for no
   medical benefit. What do you think your baby boy would say if he could
   tell you? Of course, no baby boy can consent for himself, and parents
   cannot ethically consent to surgery on behalf of a child unless the
   child's health or life is at risk.
5. Because removing part of a baby's penis is painful, risky and harmful. Babies are sensitive to pain, just like older children and adults. Many circumcisions in the United States are performed with no pain control
   at all. But even when pain control is employed, the analgesics used for
   circumcision can only decrease pain; they do not eliminate it. As with
   any surgery, complications – even including death – can and do occur
   with circumcision. Infection and abnormal bleeding are the most common
   complications. Other complications include removal of too much skin,
   loss of part or all of the penis, life-threatening infection, and
   urinary problems. All circumcisions result in the loss of the foreskin
   and its functions, and a penile scar.
6. Because times and attitudes have changed. Today, nearly half of all baby boys in the United States leave the hospital intact. The circumcision rate in the U.S. was 56% in 2005 (and much
   lower in some parts of the country), down from 81% in 1981. More and
   more parents are choosing to keep their son intact.
7. Because most medically advanced nations do not circumcise baby boys. People in Europe, Asia and Latin America are often appalled to hear that American doctors and hospitals routinely remove part of a boy's
   penis shortly after birth. Approximately 75% of the men in the world
   are not circumcised and remain intact throughout their lives.
8. Because caring for and cleaning the foreskin is easy. A natural, intact penis requires no special care. Gently wash the genital area with warm water while bathing. That's it. Later, when the
   foreskin can be retracted (something that often does not occur until
   adolescence), a boy can be taught to pull back his foreskin to wash his
   penis. The boy should be the first person to retract his foreskin,
   since forcible retraction by anyone else results in pain and injury.
9. Because circumcision does not prevent HIV or other diseases. Despite common misinformation, studies show no conclusive link between circumcision and sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention. Over
   the years, the claims that circumcision prevents various diseases have
   repeatedly been proven to be exaggerated or outright fabrications. Most
   men in the United States are circumcised, but our STD rates are as high
   as or higher than those in countries where circumcision is rare; it is
   obvious that circumcision does not protect against STDs.
10. Because children should be protected from permanent bodily alteration inflicted on them without their consent in the name of culture, religion, profit, or parental preference. Under
    accepted bioethical principles, parents can consent to surgery on
    behalf of a child only if it is necessary to protect that child's life
    or health. "Routine" circumcision fails this simple ethics test because
    it painfully and permanently removes a normal and healthy part of a
    boy's penis, does not protect the child’s life or health, and in fact
    creates new risks. Medically unnecessary surgery to alter a baby’s
    penis is no more justified than removing a finger or any other healthy
    body part.