ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on four issues that arise in the literature: the (lack of) scientific evidence regarding the medical harms and benefits of routine neonatal circumcision (RNC); respect for the child’s and its parents’ right to informed consent; the nature of the intervention, and the moral weight of cultural considerations. There is one medical practice where a sharp distinction remains between the US and Europe: non-religious RNC. Even if the alleged medical benefits of RNC were to outweigh the harms and risks, this is not a sufficient justification for RNC. The practice of RNC is questionable from a variety of viewpoints including not only the ideal of evidence-based medicine and human rights considerations, but also the notion of respect for bodily integrity. The benefits of RNC have been described in numerous studies using a wide variety of methodologies.
