Australian surgeon calls for a snip in funds for circumcision

Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Tuesday, 13 May 1997.

Sydney (dpa) - A Sydney surgeon Tuesday attacked the use of government money to pay for circumcisions saying there was no medical need for the proceedure.

I don't think people should be able to claim on medical benefits for a non-medical operation in these times of soaring health costs - it makes me sick, Barrie Milroy told the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons annual congress.

If you wanted to do such an experiment on an animal at eight days of life it would never be passed by an ethics committee - and yet we mutilate our children.

He reported that circumcision was fast going out of fashion in Australia, with the rate falling to around 10 per cent of boys from about 80 per cent in the 1960s.

Citation:

Australian surgeon calls for a snip in funds for circumcision. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 1997-05-13

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