ABSTRACT
While some neonatal male circumcision is practiced under religious guise, popular views on circumcision go beyond the religious: particularly in the United States of America, circumcision is a procedure that was established in the early twentieth century as an integral component to all hospital births. Circumcision is common in secular societies and has been for decades. This chapter presents key terms of secular debates on circumcision. It discusses how circumcision became common practice and how it came to dominate medical ethics. Contemporary debate on neonatal circumcision is found in varied disciplines such as ethics, medical and social research, sociology, and anthropology, to name a few. According to historian David Gollaher, the medical history of circumcision in the United States properly begins on February 9, 1870.
