Protesting circumcision



Revised 19/Feb/2018

THE CIRCUMCISION DIVIDE

Iceland has proposed a ban on circumcision of boys in 2018, which resulted in protests from Muslims and Jews. They banned the circumcision of girls in 2005 but had no laws banning circumcision of boys, according to an article in The Independent.

Circumcision protesters are on the move across the U.S. They showed up in Springfield MO on 7 April 2016—not surprisingly, their graphic fake blood on clothes grabbed attention and made the local news (KSPR).

Protests about circumcision have usually been about the horror of cutting young girls. And that’s something considered a problem in other countries— not the western democracies like the U.S.

This U.S. protest was about male circumcision. The placard carriers are against cruelty to boys—torture is their word. They view the procedure as optional and thus one that should be left to the individuals to decide when they are older.

The reframing of the issue from as a moral concern rather than a medical procedure deserves some attention. One moral foundation I discuss in my recent book, A House Divided, is the harm-care dimension. There is no doubt the cutting hurts. Is there any justification in the form of benefits due to circumcision?

The Mayo Clinic cites reasons for circumcision and notes it is part of Jewish and Islamic religious practice.

Here’s the Mayo Clinic opinion:

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says the benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks. However, the AAP doesn't recommend routine circumcision for all male newborns. The AAP leaves the circumcision decision up to parents — and supports use of anesthetics for infants who have the procedure.

So what about the morality issue?

Christians were divided over circumcision early on. Essentially, Christian converts were not required to follow this Jewish practice despite the biblical basis for the procedure. Instead, circumcision became metaphorical—a matter of the heart (See Acts 15; 1 Corinthians 7).

Secular medical practice provides reasons why circumcision is worth the pain and notes the pain can be reduced with an anesthetic.

A libertarian argument favors letting the individual choose.

We live in a time when old traditions are being challenged. But many people, if not most, are sensitive to practices that produce harm—especially when alternatives are available.

Read more about Sex-related morality, including circumcision, in chapter 6 of A House Divided

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