Oh Snap, A Big, Important Medical Study Says Circumcision Benefits Outweigh Risks 100 to 1
Just call me the pot stirrer because I’m back with another circumcision article. But I can’t help it! Blame medical research! A recently released medical review published by Mayo Clinic makes a major declaration regarding infant circumcision, implying that the procedure be made mandatory.
Oh, boy. Now I have to clarify from my previous circumcision posts that while I am pro-circumcision for my own kids, I really don’t care what other people do with their children’s junk. However, since I have chosen along with my husband to circumcise both of my children, I would have absolutely no problem if the procedure was made mandatory. If that was the case, then I am assuming insurance would cover it, and I wouldn’t have had to pay $600 out of pocket for each tip snip! Just saying.
In the new review published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, circumcision health benefits are said to outweigh risks by 100 to 1:
The review’s outspoken lead author, Brian J. Morris, a circumcision advocate and Professor Emeritus at The University of Sydney, Australia, hopes this new data will silence the debate once and for all. It’s Morris’ provocative position that infant circumcision contributes to overall public health in the same way that vaccines do, and should be equivalent to childhood vaccinations. And as such, he says, it’s unethical for doctors not to routinely offer it to parents.
”The anti-circers and the anti-vaxers are very similar, and often the same people,” he said. ”Denial of infant male circumcision is denial of his rights to good health, something that all responsible parents should consider carefully.”
After reading that info, your mind probably exploded into one million pieces. I know mine did because I have never heard such a strong pro-circumcision recommendation in my life. The review author compares the importance of circumcision to the importance of childhood vaccines. He asserts that not offering circumcision to parents of infant boys is, indeed, unethical.
I appreciate this doctor’s findings as I have already had my sons circumcised, and we all know that foreskin ain’t growing back. Again, it is not my business what other parents decide to do with their infant sons. I appreciate it when parents reserve their judgment against my circumcision decision, and I’m happy to reciprocate.
Nonetheless, I find this medical backing for the many, many benefits of circumcision to be intriguing. At the very least, it provides parents with a clearer picture as they make the decision for their own baby boy.
(Image: Oksana Kuzmina/Shutterstock)
