NOHARMM to American Medical News: 28 Oct 1996

We invite physicians, particularly OB-GYNs to be introspective about Dr. John C. Nelson's statement (Circumcision, AMN Oct 28): We cannot allow females or any other group of patients to be mutilated. It is inherently mutilative when OB-GYNs excise the healthy, functional prepuce^1,2 from a male newborn who cannot consent to this genital cutting. Well-intending adults may believe it's in the child's best interests, but intellectually honest physicians know that alleged medical indications for routine infant circumcision are weak, and that many parents are motivated by irrational social fearsor customs.

What circumcising unconsenting male and female children share in common is not severity, but sovereignty. Every man, woman and child has inherent human rights to physical integrity and self-determination. According to anti-FGM advocate, Dr. Nahid Toubia, The unnecessary removal of a functioning body organ in the name of tradition, custom or any other non-disease related cause should never be acceptable to the health profession. All childhood circumcisions are violations of human rights, and a breach of the fundamental code of medical ethics. It is the moral duty of educated professionals to protect the health and the rights of those withlittle or no social power to protect themselves.³

We invite physicians to contact us about the hundreds of men we're documenting who suffer the long-term physical, sexual and psychological consequences⁴ of a genital mutilating surgery they did not choose. We encourage them to acknowledge the many prophylaxis and treatment alternatives that preserve the patients genital integrity, making infant circumcision obsolete. We urge physicians to take the lead in educating themselves and the public on this issue, to cease acting as agents of social custom, and to truly uphold their oath to Do no harm.

References

Taylor, J. The prepuce: specialized mucosa of the penis and its loss to circumcision. Brit. J. Urol. 77; 1996: 291-295.
Milos, M. Circumcision: Male-Effects Upon Human Sexualty. Human Sexuality: An encyclopedia. Bullough, V., Garland Publishing, NY; 1994: 119-121.
Toubia, N.: FGM and the responsible public health professionals. Int J. Gyn. & Obstet., 46; 1994: 127-135.
Hammond, T. (ed) Awakenings: a Preliminary Poll of Circumcised Men. NOHARMM, PO Box 4607095, San Francisco, CA 94146; 1994.

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