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A Look at the Issue of Circumcision (Part I)

© Jeri Carr

Some parents have their son circumcised because they think that is just what is done--"After all," the fathers think, "I am circumcised." Some parents feel doubtful about the necessity of having it done, but give in to pressure from relatives who think it should be done. Other parents do it for religious reasons. Some parents do it for medical reasons. Others do it because they don't want their son to be different than the other boys. Whatever the reason, this very personal decision that will affect their son for the rest of his life, and every effort should be made to make the right choice for their child.

Interestingly, whether or not to circumcise is not even an issue in many countries. In fact, most men in the world are intact. Out of 23 medically advanced nations, the United States is the only one which circumcises over half of it's newborn males. Mary G. Ray, founder of Mothers Against Circumcision explains, "Routine Infant Circumcision is limited to English speaking countries. The practice was introduced to the U.S. through England, but they abandoned it nearly 50 years ago, practicing it now at the rate of only 1%. The rate is 3% in New Zealand, 10% in Australia and 20% to 25% in Canada. RIC [routine infant circumcision] is not offered in most non-English speaking countries. It never caught on in Europe, Asia, South or Central America (82% of the World’s Men are Intact ©1997). The average rate of circumcision for the entire U.S. is 62.8% (United States Circumcision Incidence).

Some parents worry about the risk of penile cancer may be higher in uncircumcised men. This is a valid concern, but it should be known that--even if circumcision increases the risk of penile cancer--the risk is still extremely low. According to the AAP, "Studies conclude that the risk of an uncircumcised man developing penile cancer is more than three-fold that of a circumcised man. However, the AAP policy notes that in the United States only 9 to 10 cases of this rare disease are diagnosed per year per 1 million men, indicating that while the risk is higher for uncircumcised men, their overall risk is extremely low" (Press Release, New AAP Circumcision Policy Released, March 1, 1999).

Also, the association being between not being circumcised and penile cancer may not be as clear as those in the Unite States assume. According to the "Circumcision Informed Consent Form" on the nocirp.org website, ". . . There is an assumed association in the United States between not being circumcised and penile cancer, but now it is known that most cases of penile cancer are caused by human papilloma virus, which is acquired through sexual intercourse. In Denmark and Japan (where few boys are circumcised), the rate of penile cancer is the same as the United States" (Model Circumcision Informed Consent Form). The next statement on the "Circumcision Informed Consent Form" deserves to be considered carefully, "More baby boys die from circumcision than men die of penile cancer."

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