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Australia

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using template BoyleGJ SvobodaJS PriceCP TurnerJN 2000
== Australia and circumcision ==
'''Australia''', like other English-speaking countries, once had a rather high rate of non-therapeutic neonatal [[circumcision]] of male infants, however Australia (2019) now has a very low rate of non-therapeutic neonatal circumcision. Consequently, the [[circumcised]] males are concentrated in the older age groups. As they pass away and are replaced by younger [[intact]] males, the prevalence of [[circumcised ]] men is diminishing. Circumcised males are now in the minority in Australia and have been at least since 2011.<ref name="cozijn2013">{{REFweb
|url=http://www.circinfo.org/statistics.html
|title=Incidence and prevalence of circumcision in Australia
|format=
|quote=
}}</ref> The percentage of [[circumcised]] males in Australia (prevalence) is reported to be 26.6%.<ref>{{REFweb
|url=https://circstatistics.github.io/
|title=Global Circumcision Statistics and Estimates
|last=
|first=
|init=
|publisher=https://circstatistics.github.io
|date=2024-04-01
|accessdate=2024-04-01
}}</ref>
}}</ref>
==Non-therapeutic circumcision and Australian law===== International human rights law ===
Australia is a state-party to the United Nations ''[https://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/CCPR.aspx Covenant on Civil and Political Rights]'' (1966) and to the United Nations ''[https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx Convention on the Rights of the Child]'' (1989), both of which provide various [[human rights]] to children, which are violated by non-therapeutic child circumcision.
=== Australian domestic law ===
The legality of non-therapeutic circumcision of boys has been considered several times.
<blockquote>
Enforced non-therapeutic genital cutting of unconsenting minors is overdue for recognition by the legal community as sexual mutilation. As we enter the 21st Century, appropriate legal action must be taken to safeguard the physical [[genital integrity]] of male children.<ref>{{REFjournal |last=Boyle |first=Gregory J. |init=GJ |author-link=Gregory J. Boyle |last2=Svoboda |first2=J. Steven |init2=JS |author2-link=J. Steven Svoboda |last3=Price |first3=Christopher P. |init3=CP |author3-link=Christopher P. Price |last4=Turner |first4=J. Neville |init4=JN |author4-link=J. Neville Turner |etal=no |title=Circumcision of Healthy Boys: Criminal Assault? |journal=J Law Med |date=BoyleGJ SvobodaJS PriceCP TurnerJN 2000-02 |volume=7 |issue= |pages=301-10 |url=http://www.cirp.org/library/legal/boyle1/ |accessdate=2019-10-31}}</ref>
</blockquote>
}}</ref>
Despite the criticism in the above referenced papers, there has been no legislative or judicial action to protect boys in Australia from medically-unnecessary , non-therapeutic [[circumcision]].
== Circumcision in the 21st Century ==
</blockquote>
The [[RACP]], a [[medical trade association]], retired this [http://www.intactaus.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/RACP-statement .pdf 2010 statement] in December 2022, when it issued a new statement that was ''not'' an improvement.
[[Robert Darby|Darby]] (2011) collected circumcision statistics from the various Australian states and territories. Darby reported a high rate of 17.3 percent in New South Wales in 2010 and a low of 1.5 percent in Tasmania in the same year. Other states fell in between.<ref>{{REFjournal
|accessdate=2020-12-14
}} </ref>
 
[[Circumcision Law Reform]] (2024) reports that about 22,000 circumcisions are performed in Australia each year, of which 15,000 to 18,000 are performed on minor patients.<ref>{{REFweb
|url=https://circumcisionlawreform.org/about/
|title=CLR
|last=Anonymous
|first=
|init=
|publisher=Circumcision Law Reform
|date=
|accessdate=2024-02-03
}}</ref> The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported 154,281 male births in 2022.<ref>{{REFweb
|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/births-australia/latest-release
|title=Births, Australia
|last=Anonymous
|first=
|init=
|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics
|date=2023-10-18
|accessdate=2024-02-03
}}</ref> This provides an estimated incidence of medically-unnecessary, injurious circumcision of 9.7 percent to 11.6 percent.
However, traditional male genital mutilation remains popular among [[Aborigines]] in the Northern Territory where it is supported by the local government.<ref>{{REFnews
=== Circumcision death ===
A Seville Grove, {{AUSC|WA}} Muslim family presented two brothers for elective non-therapeutic circumcision surgery at Gosnells Medical Clinic (A medical clinic populated by Muslims) on 7 December 2021.The healthy two-year-old was circumcised at [http://www.gosnellsmedicalclinic.com.au/ Gosnells Medical Clinic] in Gosnells, {{AUSC|WA}}, on 7 December 2021. His healthy seven-month-old brother also had a non-therapeutic circumcision on the same date. The two circumcisions were performed by family doctor and general practitioner Dr. [[Raad Hassan]]. Opinions about Dr. Hassan are mixed.<ref>{{REFweb |url=https://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/3198480/Dr-Raad-Hassan-Perth-WA.html/ |title=Dr. Raad Hassan |last= |first= |init= |publisher=Rate MDs |date= |accessdate=2024-02-02}}</ref>
The healthy two-year-old boys were discharged to their home after their circumcisions.St. John Ambulance Service was circumcised at called to the home for the two boys in the evening. A spokeswoman from [httphttps://wwwstjohn.gosnellsmedicalclinic.comorg.au/ Gosnells Medical ClinicSt John Ambulance] confirmed the toddler was in Gosnells, a ‘critical condition’ when emergency workers arrived at the home at about 6:30 pm.<ref>{{AUSCREFnews |url=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10287861/Toddler-2-dies-baby-brother-fighting-life-botched-circumcisions.html |title=Likely cause of WAtoddler’s death after circumcision revealed |last=Foster |first=Ally |init=A |website=news.com.au |date=2021-12-10 |accessdate=2021-12-16}}</ref><ref>{{REFnews |url=https://olxpraca.com/a-two-year-old-child-from-seville-grove-in-perth-washington-died-after-a-failed-circumcision/ |title=A two-year-old child from Seville Grove in Perth, Western Australia, on 7 December died after a failed circumcision |publisher=Olx Praca |date=2021-12-09 |accessdate=2021-12-16}}</ref> The two boys were transported to nearby [https://ahs.health.wa.gov.au/ Armadale Hospital].
His healthy The seven-month-old brother, who also had a non-therapeutic circumcision on the same date, boy narrowly survived [[Bleeding| hemorrhage]] after emergency surgery at [https://www.pch.health.wa.gov.au/ Perth Children's Hospital] and spending the night in intensive care.<ref name="white2021">{{REFnews
|url=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10287861/Toddler-2-dies-baby-brother-fighting-life-botched-circumcisions.html
|title=Toddler, 2, dies and his baby brother is fighting for life 'after botched circumcisions' as homicide cops are called to investigate
|accessdate=2021-12-08
}}</ref>
 
The two newly [[circumcised]] boys were discharged to their home in Seville Grove from Gosnells Medical Clinic.
 
St. John Ambulance service was called to the home for the two boys in the evening. A spokeswoman from [https://stjohn.org.au/ St John Ambulance] confirmed the toddler was in a ‘critical condition’ when emergency workers arrived at the home at about 6:30 pm.<ref>{{REFnews
|url=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10287861/Toddler-2-dies-baby-brother-fighting-life-botched-circumcisions.html
|title=Likely cause of WA toddler’s death after circumcision revealed
|last=Foster
|first=Ally
|init=A
|website=news.com.au
|date=2021-12-10
|accessdate=2021-12-16
}}</ref><ref>{{REFnews
|url=https://olxpraca.com/a-two-year-old-child-from-seville-grove-in-perth-washington-died-after-a-failed-circumcision/
|title=A two-year-old child from Seville Grove in Perth, Western Australia, died after a failed circumcision
|publisher=Olx Praca
|date=2021-12-09
|accessdate=2021-12-16
}}</ref> The two boys were transported to nearby [https://ahs.health.wa.gov.au/ Armadale Hospital].
The two-year-old toddler died from complications of a non-therapeutic [[circumcision]] operation. He was declared dead-on-arrival at [https://emhs.health.wa.gov.au/Hospitals-and-Services/Hospitals/AHS Armadale Hospital] in the late evening of of 7 December.
=== AMA warns against circumcision ===
[https://www.amawa.com.au/news/mark-duncan-smith-elected-as-new-president-of-ama-wa/ Dr Mark Duncan-Smith], the president of the AMA (WA), issued a warning to parents on 10 December 2021 regarding non-therapeutic child [[circumcision]]. Dr. Duncan-Smith said parents should only "follow through with the procedure if there is a valid medical reason." According to Dr Duncan-Smith only about ten percent of boys in Western Australia are now being [[circumcised]].<ref>{{REFnews
|url=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10293843/Circumcision-warning-two-year-old-dies-brother-bleeds-Western-Australia.html
|title=Parents are warned against circumcising their children after a toddler, 2, died 'of a reaction to anaesthetic' and his baby brother almost bled out
|accessdate=2021-12-12
}}</ref>
 
=== RACP issues new circumcision statement ===
The [[RACP]], a [[medical trade association]], issued a new 18-page prmotional promotional policy statement, entitled ''Circumcision of infant males'', in December 2022.<ref name="RACP2022">{{REFdocument
|url=https://www.racp.edu.au//docs/default-source/advocacy-library/racp-circumcision-of-infant-males-position-statement.pdf
|title=Circumcision of Infant Males
}}</ref>
The statement failed to mention the circumcision [[death]] in Perth, nor did it mention the advice of the Dr. Mark Duncan Smith, then President of the [https://www.ama.com.au/ Australian Medical Association ] that infant [[circumcision]] should be done only when a medical indication is present.<ref>{{REFnews
|url=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10293843/Circumcision-warning-two-year-old-dies-brother-bleeds-Western-Australia.html
|title=Parents are warned against circumcising their children after a toddler, 2, died 'of a reaction to anaesthetic' and his baby brother almost bled out
|date=2021-12-09
|accessdate=2023-11-20
}}</ref>
=== Doctor-mohel amputates the penis of two boys ===
Jewish doctor & ''[[mohel]]'' [[Hershel Goldman]] has amputated the [[penis]] from two boys while performing a [[Brit Milah]] in Victoria. The [https://www.medicalboard.gov.au/ Medical Board of Australia] (2024) has now banned him from performing [[circumcision]].<ref>{{REFnews
|title=Top circumcision doctor is banned from performing the operations after amputating two little boys' penises, tribunal hears
|url=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13455661/Circumcision-doctor-Hershel-Goldman-fighting-ban.html
|last=Lackey
|first=Brett
|init=
|author-link=
|last2=
|init2=
|author2-link=
|publisher=Daily Mail
|website=
|date=2024-05-24
|accessdate=2024-05-25
|format=
|quote=
}}</ref>
{{LINKS}}
* {{REFweb
|url=https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/childrens-rights
|title=Children's Rights
|last=Anonymous
|first=
|init=
|publisher=Australian Human Rights Commission
|date=2023-10-27
|accessdate=2024-02-06
}}
* {{REFweb
|url=https://www.cirp.org/library/legal/Australia/
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