Survey on infant male circumcision

Nurses General Nursing

Published

  1. Do you agree with AAP's policy statement on male circumcision?

    • 36
      Yes, but the decision to circumcise should be left up to the parents.
    • 30
      No, I don't believe infants should be routinely circumcised
    • 1
      Yes. I believe in male circumcision as public health measure, but only when a male can consent for circumcision himself.
    • 0
      Undecided. I don't think there is enough scientific literature to make a decision at this point.
    • 1
      Other

68 members have participated

The current policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

"Evaluation of current evidence indicates that the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks and that the procedure's benefits justify access to this procedure for families who choose it." http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/3/585

Specializes in Anesthesia.
You posted a poll. That is a request for opinions.

The survey is there to help quantify what some people members on this board believe about male circumcision without having the few opinionated people continue to rant and rave about their opinions over and over.

Calling people barbarians is hardly helpful and will not persuade anyone. It is an ignorant assumption with no basis in facts, if your education is not enough to debate the facts without calling individuals barbarians for making decisions they consider to be thoughtful decisions on the well beings of their sons then perhaps it is time for you to consider a career outside of healthcare.

Specializes in Anesthesia.
If the benefits supposedly outweigh the risks then WHY are we one of the few developed countries who still perform this elective surgery. And their STD rates are either similar or lower than THE US. It cannot possibly be that hard to teach your child how to properly clean their privates and practice safe sex. I have two girls and if I ever have a boy I will not be performing a circumcision on him. To look like their dad is the most superficial and irresponsible reason to perform a circ, as if that couldn't be so easily explained. To them is akin to asking why I'm a different skin color than my mom or dad. To kids it's really simple, I don't know why we as adults and parents seem so attached to projecting our own insecurities and fears unto our children.

This has already been covered. Male circumcision is still an elective surgery all over the world. There are some countries that have considered outlawing it, but I do not know of any 1st world country that has done so so far.

It is very hard to compare a country with socialized health care with a country that does not have socialized health care and try to make equatable comparisons on public health. It is certain that all countries in Europe still have significant STI rates would RIC drop those rates even further the answer is probably yes when you look at the literature.

People who have healthy, functional, undiseased tissue sliced off of non consenting infants or children of either gender to serve their own preferences are barbarians.

It's fine to have an opinion, and I see no problem with trying to educate people, and help them understand your point of view. While I haven't landed on either side of the fence at this point, I think it's fair to say that the overwhelming majority of moms who have decided to get their baby boys circumcised were just trying to do what they thought was best at that time. You're insulting people who have made a decision that can't be undone, and calling them barbarians isn't going to accomplish anything, except maybe for helping you feel smug.

Moms (and people in general) need to give each other a break.

Specializes in hospice.
It's fine to have an opinion, and I see no problem with trying to educate people, and help them understand your point of view. While I haven't landed on either side of the fence at this point, I think it's fair to say that the overwhelming majority of moms who have decided to get their baby boys circumcised were just trying to do what they thought was best at that time. You're insulting people who have made a decision that can't be undone, and calling them barbarians isn't going to accomplish anything, except maybe for helping you feel smug.

Moms (and people in general) need to give each other a break.

Do you give parents who have their girls "circumcised" the same pass? Because they claim all the same reasons and excuses for having that done, and really, they're just trying to do their best....

Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

Having seen this procedure performed and the bleeding that can occur afterward (had an emergency during my preceptorship r/t circ), not to mention the risks and the minimal long term benefits, I have strong feelings I would never tell my patients. However, when I was pregnant with my son, I spoke with my brother about this topic, because he considered circumcision as an adult. He had hypersensitivity issues during sex when he didn't use a condom, to where it was painful. I remember him going through the consults and such. He ultimately decided not to go through with it, and has since managed to survive sex without a condom (AEB his daughter, a planned pregnancy). I also spoke with other men in my life who are or aren't circ'ed. At the time, and APA recommended against it. It seems like every few years they go from one side to the other and back again.

While I recognize that the procedure is more complex as an adult, I believe that it's a decision that should generally be left to the owner of said member. I will, however, support a patient's decision for how they choose to parent their child. As I work in a birth center and plan to be a CNM, this is a very relevant topic for me.

I don't think its a major issue either way but I think it's non sensical to use circumsicon as a way to avoid a relatively small number of preventible conditions. We'd do more for the individual (off the top of my head, just making this up here) by performing preemptive appys and choles then circ's. Or for for public health by banning fast food including Starbucks and all,of their addictive sugar than lives changed and improved removing a natural body part.

And I still strongly believe that many just want to circ because they find foreskin unappealing, or are worried about those that do.

I'm not sure, but I don't think my son remembers what his father's member looks like. I could be wrong. I cannot believe how painful the procedure was for my son. No doubt about it, he was in pain. Both my husband and I agree if we could go back and change our minds, we would have never allowed the procedure to be done. It's not my member or my husbands, never was, and really should have left the choice up to our son. I do respect other folks choice for choosing to circumcise their infants; it's a complex familial custom you either agree with or disagree with and move on.

Do you give parents who have their girls "circumcised" the same pass? Because they claim all the same reasons and excuses for having that done, and really, they're just trying to do their best....

I certainly don't see any benefits to be had by insulting and shaming them.

I'm not here to try and convince anyone that their opinion is right or wrong. I felt it necessary to point out that comments, like the one you made above, will do absolutely nothing in the way of gaining support for your cause. At best these comments will be ignored, at worst they will make people mad, and much less likely to be receptive to anything else you have to say.

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

I voted for the first option; as much as the health benefits are available, I think that parents should make an informed decision.

If I have male children, they will be circumcised because of the health benefits, not because of "cosmetic reasons". :no:

Specializes in Pediatrics.

It is a very painful procedure, my 2 sons were not circ as infants and a few months ago my son at 13 had to get circ for health reasons. The recovery was very painful. However I do not regret not having it done as an infant.

If it is for cosmetic reasons, then let the owner of the member decide.

Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

Thank God I had daughters and was never faced with that decision. I wasn't a nurse when my children were born, so had I had boys, they probably would have been circumcised.

I think we as nurses know what the trauma of circumcision looks and sounds like. I'd never in a million years do that to my infant. I think piercing an infants ears is equally repellent. I think inflicting anything permanent on my child, should only be done in life saving situations. Or there should be concrete and extensive health reasons that have to be addressed immediately. Otherwise they are decisions that can be made by them at a later date.

Before anybody zeroes in on the ear piercing statement, let me be clear. Piercing ears and circumcision aren't in the same league. Not even close. I've just heard the same argument for them from parents. "They won't remember". "It doesn't hurt as much when they're little". "It's easier when they're small". As if any of those reasons are valid.

I read most of the other thread on this topic, and see that the majority of people against circumcision make reference to their opinion that it is wrong to have a body part removed on an infant, because that body part belongs to the infant, not the parent, and so it is not the parent's choice to make.

This makes me curious of their opinion in regards to the removal of extra digits from polydactyl infants, or when an infant is born with a small tail that the parents have removed.

I'm on the fence with circumcision, but I know for a fact that I would allow a hospital to remove extra digits or a tail from my newborn.

Anyone care to comment?

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