Ancient wall paintings and mummies record the practice of male circumcision 6000 years ago. Its origins remain obscure but are variously derived from religion, ritual and culture. Today, surgical indications for circumcision are either therapeutic, to treat established conditions such as balanitis xerotica obliterans, or preventive. In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) radically ch...

The foreskin is a complex structure that protects and moisturizes the head of the penis, and, being the most densely innervated and sensitive portion of the penis, is essential to providing the complete sexual response. Circumcision-the removal of this structure-is non-therapeutic, painful, irreversible surgery that also risks serious physical injury, psychological sequelae, and death. Men rare...

BACKGROUND Recent attempts in the USA and Europe to ban the circumcision of male children have been unsuccessful. Of current concern is a report by the Tasmanian Law Reform Institute (TLRI) recommending that non-therapeutic circumcision be prohibited, with parents and doctors risking criminal sanctions except where the parents have strong religious and ethnic ties to circumcision. The acceptanc...

Every infant has a right to bodily integrity. Removing healthy tissue from an infant is only permissible if there is an immediate medical indication. In the case of infant male circumcision there is no evidence of an immediate need to perform the procedure. As a German court recently held, any benefit to circumcision can be obtained by delaying the procedure until the male is old enough to give...

This theme is controversial because no major medical organization recommends universal neonatal circumcision and no major medical organization calls for banning it either. The argument that this procedure must be kept within the purview of medical professionals is found across all major medical organizations. In addition, the organizations advise medical professionals to yield to some degree to...

Since the introduction of the Shenghuan device in 2008, there has been limited data regarding its use in children’s circumcision. This initially-described technique is known as the Peng method, where the inner ring of the device is placed on the outer layer of foreskin. The technique was modified by Yan in 2010, where the inner ring was placed between the foreskin and glans. Yan’s method is a s...

Existing scientific evidence demonstrates potential medical benefits of newborn male circumcision; however, these data are not sufficient to recommend routine neonatal circumcision. In circumstances in which there are potential benefits and risks, yet the procedure is not essential to the child’s current well-being, parents should determine what is in the best interest of the child. To make an ...

Existing scientific evidence demonstrates potential medical benefits of newborn male circumcision; however, these data are not sufficient to recommend routine neonatal circumcision. In circumstances in which there are potential benefits and risks, yet the procedure is not essential to the child’s current well-being, parents should determine what is in the best interest of the child. To make an ...