Circumcision Myths, Part II
It is a myth that there are no risks associated with circumcision. The fact is, complications can occur during/after circumcision. It is estimated that 1 in 200 to 1 in 500 circumcised boys develop some complication during/after the procedure. The most common complication is bleeding and infection after the procedure. Although rare, death can occur from circumcision.
Many people believe that the rate of complication during/after circumcision is much higher. Circumcision actually has a 100% rate of complication, because 100% of the boys who are circumcised have an altered anatomy, and do not have the benefit of a very useful part of their penis.
Based on the above information, I was 100% certain that I did not want to have our son circumcised, and my husband was 99% certain. Our decision was finalized when we attended a baby care class for parents-to-be, when we saw photos of the equipment they use to circumcise infant boys. Their tiny arms and legs are strapped down to a board; then an "apparatus," which looks like a torture device, is attached to the penis. Had it not been so painful to me to think of the pain that infants experience during the procedure, it might've been funny to watch every man in the room wince and cross his legs!
While writing this article, I looked online for photos of the circumcision equipment. What I found were photos of an actual circumcision. If you would like to see photos (which are EXTREMELY GRAPHIC) of exactly how this procedure is performed, click here.
The trend towards not circumcising is slowly growing. Many doctors now refuse to perform circumcisions, stating that doing violates all seven principles of the American Medical Association's Code of Ethics. For example, circumcision cannot be considered surgery, since surgical procedures have been defined as the repair of wounds, the removal of diseased organs or tissue, reconstructive surgery, circumcision is the removal of healthy tissue. Since doctors' licenses only allow them to cut a person if they are performing surgery, some doctors consider circumcision unethical.
Some doctors also consider circumcision of infant boys unethical because it is an elective procedure being performed on individuals who have not consented to the surgery. Modern medical ethics state that parents have the right to consent for medical treatment for their children if the treatment
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