Cultural circumcision in EU public hospitals--an ethical discussion.
The paper explores the ethical aspects of introducing cultural circumcision of children into the EU public health system. We reject commonplace arguments against circumcision: considerations of good medical practice, justice, bodily integrity, autonomy and the analogy from female genital mutilation. From the unique structure of patient-medicine interaction, we argue that the incorporation of cultural circumcision into EU public health services is a kind of medicalization, which does not fit the ethos of universal healthcare. However, we support a utilitarian argument that finds hospital based circumcision safer than non-medicalized alternatives. The argument concerning medicalization and the utilitarian argument both rely on preliminary empirical data, which depend on future validation
Brusa
Margherita
M
Bioethics Department, St. Joseph University, Philadelphia, PA, USA. margheritabrusa@hotmail.com
Barilan
Y Michael
YM
D001294:Attitude to Health; D019093:Circumcision, Female / Q000941:ethics*; D002944:Circumcision, Male / Q000941:ethics*; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D028663:Ethical Theory; D005062:European Union; D005260:Female; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000941:ethics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007514:Islam; D007599:Judaism; D008297:Male; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D017149:Private Sector; D011634:Public Health / Q000941:ethics*; D017150:Public Sector; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D013240:Stereotyping; D016387:Women's Health / Q000941:ethics