Circumcision in the United States: where are we?
Circumcision is one of the most common surgical procedures performed on males in the United States. Ethical considerations of the procedure have been considered for many years and, recently, research on the topic has shed more light on the debate. The purpose of this study was to review the history and emergence, current demographics, and practices of male circumcision, specifically, nonreligious, nonmedically indicated routine neonatal circumcision. A review of the current literature was conducted using PubMed and current practices from guidelines of major professional societies. Physicians should consider the various ethical concerns and provide the patient's guardians with unbiased counsel. There is a lack of evidence both in favor of and against recommending routine neonatal circumcisions in the United States. The question remains whether we should continue unwarranted male circumcisions, especially when the major tenet of medical ethics is "do no harm."
Department of Surgery , Howard University Hospital/College of Medicine, 2041 Georgia Ave NW Washington, DC 20060, USA. jdrobinson@aol.com
John D
JD
Robinson
Gezzer
G
Ortega
Jarrod A
JA
Carrol
Aimee
A
Townsend
Daniel A
DA
Carnegie
David
D
Rice
Nelson
N
Bennett
D002944:Circumcision, Male / Q000941:ethics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014481:United States