S. Africa: "Haemophilia the cause of circumcision deaths?"

Article here. No, the reason for circumcision deaths is that you are doing something really nasty to an innocent and helpless victim that induces bleeding, and worse yet, you are getting it "wrong" in the process-- sort of like forcing a person to have a kidney removed and then failing to manage the bleeding so that he or she dies. Yes, they may have had haemophilia, but was that the actual cause of their death? No. It was that you started cutting at their flesh ignorant of the particular risks and worse still, without their consent. Excerpt:

'Reports of deaths during traditional initiation rites often hit the headlines in South Africa, and there is always a devastating sense of young lives lost too soon. Yet, partly because these centuries-old practices are swathed in mystery, insight into the reasons for the loss of life following ritual circumcision is often limited and not fully understood.

Poor surgical practices in non-sterile conditions are often blamed, but there may be another factor, which needs to be considered. The hereditary bleeding disorder, haemophilia, may indeed be a reason for the deaths in some of these rituals.

The Igazi Foundation, based in Port Elizabeth and working throughout the Eastern Cape, has identified haemophilia as a definite risk factor in traditional circumcisions, especially since they take place in remote areas far from hospitals and clinics. The foundation had a dedicated haemophilia project, which was also aimed at reducing the risk of excessive bleeding amongst initiates.'