Obstetricians and the American circumcision scandal: Difference between revisions

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The [[American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists]] is a [[medical trade association]] that provides a statement on its website to encourage parents to consent to harmful, injurious [[circumcision of the newborn]]. Obstetricians have long been a major factor in the promotion and performance of [[circumcision of the newborn]].
The [[American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists]] is a [[medical trade association]] that provides a statement on its website to encourage parents to consent to harmful, injurious [[circumcision of the newborn]]. Obstetricians have long been a major factor in the promotion and performance of [[circumcision of the newborn]].
===ACOG information for parents===
===ACOG information for parents===
The infamous 2012 statement for parents appears to have been removed in 2017 at the time that the 2012 American Academy of Pediatrics Circumcision Policy Statement expired.  
The infamous 2012 statement for parents appears to have been removed in 2017 at the time that the 2012 [[American Academy of Pediatrics]] Circumcision Policy Statement, on which the previous ACOG statement was based, expired without being re-affirmed.  


It was replaced in 2017 by another statement that shows signs of concerns about the possible legal liability of ACOG. The statement attempts to move the responsibility and liability for any [[circumcision]] from the surgeon to the parent. Some of the claims that advocate circumcision have been omitted. There is a claim that circumcision may reduce the risk of urinary tract infection (UTI), but it fails to tell parents that the treatment for UTI is with anti-microbial drugs, not surgery.<ref>{{REFjournal
It was replaced in 2017 by another statement on [[circumcision of the newborn]] that shows signs of concerns about the possible legal liability of ACOG. The statement attempts to move the responsibility and liability for any [[circumcision]] from the surgeon to the parent. Some of the claims that advocate circumcision have been omitted.<ref name="acog2017">{{REFweb
|url=https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/newborn-male-circumcision
|title=Newborn Male Circumcision
|last=Anonymous
|first=
|init=
|author-link=
|publisher=ACOG
|date=2017
|accessdate=2025-07-07
}}</ref>
 
There is a claim that circumcision may reduce the risk of urinary tract infection ([[UTI]]), but it fails to tell parents that the treatment for UTI is with anti-microbial drugs, not surgery.<ref>{{REFjournal
  |last=McCracken, Jr.
  |last=McCracken, Jr.
  |first=
  |first=
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  |DOI=10.1097/00006454-198908000-00041  
  |DOI=10.1097/00006454-198908000-00041  
  |accessdate=2025-07-07
  |accessdate=2025-07-07
}}</ref> The ACOG statement also fails to inform parents of the [[Immunological and protective function of the foreskin| immunological functions]] of the foreskin, the value of [[breastfeeding]] in reducing [[UTI]], or the increase in difficulty of initating breastfeeding after circumcision.
}}</ref> The ACOG statement also fails to inform parents of the [[Immunological and protective function of the foreskin| immunological functions]] of the foreskin, the value of [[breastfeeding]] in reducing [[UTI]], or the increased difficulty of initating breastfeeding after [[circumcision]].


<ref name="acog2017">{{REFweb
ACOG now uses the device of saying "why parents choose" to reduce their potential liability.
|url=https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/newborn-male-circumcision
|title=Newborn Male Circumcision
|last=Anonymous
|first=
|init=
|author-link=
|publisher=ACOG
|date=2017
|accessdate=2025-07-07
}}</ref>


==Statement by George C. Denniston, M.D., M.P.H.==
==Statement by George C. Denniston, M.D., M.P.H.==