Doctors, lawyers and circumcision

Re: The Perils Of Circumcision, J. Steven Svoboda, Oct. 4. In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on circumcision concluded that “the health benefits of newborn circumcision outweigh the risks and that the procedure’s benefits justify access to this procedure for families who choose it.” J. Steven Svoboda cherrypicked dr. Noni Macdonald’s contribution in her co-authored paper (Pediatrics 2013: 131:796-800) focusing on the need for “later age” consent on circumcision.

As practicing pediatricians who offer elective circumcisions only after full review and explanation of all likely and unlikely procedural outcomes, parents arrive well prepared in the social and ethical decisions of circumcision. The goal of this counselling is to ensure parents feel confident in their consenting to a life-changing procedure on their infant. Indeed if parents are unsure or insecurity is sensed, the procedure is not carried out. The reverse is also true; when parents decide to proceed onto circumcision, it is based solely on their child’s best interest. Parents consent with confidence and rarely if ever look back.

Finally, a very common reason for infantile circumcision is to avoid the “later age” issues. If circumcision is deferred to teenage/adult years, other issues need to be faced: the requirement of general anesthesia, post-operative discomfort, significant increase in cost, risk of post-op complications, and the “stress” of a teenage/adult circumcision. These are issues that Mr. Svoboda conveniently left out.

I believe Mr. Svoboda would well benefit in talking more to these knowledgeable parents who he so readily underestimates. Dr. J Ohayon and Dr. L. Berall, Hamilton, Ont.

This article makes reference to the monetary costs of circumcisions, fees and botches. It points to the negative aspects of circumcisions. can one say that no mistakes are made in surgery, dentistry, education, science and other disciplines? In the united States, more than 200,000 people die in hospitals every year due to medical errors. Surely the anti-circumcision activists wouldn’t suggest closing hospitals.

David Spiro, Toronto.

circumcision is indeed dangerous. It drives some writers insane. It should be noted that more Nobel Prizes are won by men who are circumcised than by any other single group.

Rob Manders, Kingston Ont.

Has there ever been a randomized study of a statistically significant group of men comparing the circumcised to the uncircumcised in terms of sexual satisfaction and all the other nefarious effects that are promulgated by the anti circumcision activists? I doubt it. N.B. Hershfield, clinical professor of medicine, The University of Calgary.

J. Steven Svoboda is both executive director for a group of attorneys and he is also against circumcision. While I am a medical doctor who has been on the receiving end of one neonatal circumcision and who also has performed tens of circumcisions during training, I must defer to Mr. Svoboda’s expertise because, as we all know, lawyers are unmitigated experts when it comes to dicks.

Dr. Robert D. Wagman, Toronto.