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A new study found [[circumcision]] so traumatic that doctors ended the study early rather than subject any more babies to the operation without anesthesia.
The researchers discovered that for those circumcised without anesthesia there was not only severe [[pain]], but also an increased risk of choking and difficulty breathing.
The necessity of circumcision is the subject of increasing debate , but the traditional reasons for the operations have always been prevention.
Rabbi Ariel Asa has performed hundreds of circumcisions. When families request it, he says he puts an anesthetic on the skin, in an effort to reduce some of the [[pain]]. But he admits it's not very effective.
"Due to the fact that ''[[mohel| moyels]]'' (the people who do the procedure) do it very quickly and the pain that the baby experiences is minimal, I don't think that the overall benefits are gained," he says.
But the researchers found that while topical anesthetics may help initially, they are woefully inadequate during foreskin separation and incision.
They concluded that if [[circumcision ]] must be performed, it should be preceded by an injected anesthetic.
In fact, they found the results so compelling that they took the unusual step of stopping the study before it was scheduled to end rather than subjecting any more babies to circumcision without anesthesia.