Doctors Opposing Circumcision: Commentary on American Academy of Pediatrics 2012 Circumcision Policy Statement

Commentary here (.pdf file). Excerpt:

'Male circumcision is a radical operation that irreversibly excises and amputates a healthy functional body part. The part removed is the foreskin or prepuce of the penis, which constitutes more than fifty percent of the skin and mucosa of the penis. The foreskin, which is a complex structure containing, smooth muscle, large vascular structures, and is highly innervated, has numerous protective, immunological, mechanical, sensory, and sexual physiological functions. The task force on circumcision, however, makes absolutely no mention of the nature or function of the foreskin, although this information is of great relevance to making a decision regarding circumcision.

Rights of the child

It is well established in both domestic law and international human rights law that a child is a person with rights of his own from the moment of birth. The task force on circumcision, however, treats the child-patient as a non-person with no legal rights of his own. There is no mention of the child’s right to bodily integrity or the child’s right to security of his person and special protection during childhood, which are violated by male circumcision. The child is seen as a chattel possession of the parents, with which they can do whatever they please. The AAP has failed to understand that domestic and international laws for the protection of individuals are written for the protection of the best interests of those individuals and that the violation of those laws cannot be in the best interests of those individuals.'