Canada

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The status of non-therapeutic circumcision in Canada has been poorly reported. This page is an attempt to correct that situation.

History

Non-therapeutic circumcision of children is not part of the culture of many Canadian minorities. The French-speaking people of Quebec and elsewhere generally do not favor circumcision. Male circumcision is not part of the culture of indigenous Inuit, First Nations, and Métis populations (4.3% of the population).

Pirie (1927), in a presentation to the Canadian Society for the Study of Diseases of Children, described circumcision as "very common".[1]

Patel (1966) reported his findings on neonatal circumcision in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Patel reported on the complications experienced in a series of 100 consecutive male infants. He also reported on the incidence of circumcision at Kingston General Hospital in Kingston, Ontario. Patel reported an incidence of circumcision of 48 percent. This is for one hospital in Kingston, ON but has been widely cited as the rate for all Canada.[2]

Canada, like other English-speaking nations formerly circumcised most of its boys, with circumcision rates in the 40 to 70 percent range in the 1960s.[3]

Position statements of medical societies

The Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) took a position against non-therapeutic circumcision of boys in 1975, declaring it to have "no medical indication" and to be an "obsolete operation".[4]

The CPS revisited circumcision in 1996 and recommended, "Circumcision should not be routinely performed."[5]

The CPS again considered infant circumcision in 2015. The CPS stated:

While there may be a benefit for some boys in high-risk populations and circumstances where the procedure could be considered for disease reduction or treatment, the Canadian Paediatric Society does not recommend the routine circumcision of every newborn male.[6]

The Canadian Urological Association (CUA) considered the matter of circumcision and issued a statement in February 2018. The CUA concluded, "Given the socioeconomic, educational status, and health demographics of our population, universal neonatal circumcision cannot be justified based on the current evidence available.[7]

Reported incidence of non-therapeutic child circumcision

The reported incidence of child circumcision in Canada varies by province and has diminished over time. Newfoundland has always had a very low incidence of child circumcision.

Johnston (1995) reported that the incidence of child circumcision in Canada had fallen from 60 percent a generation ago to an estimated 25 percent.[8]

The Montreal Gazette (2006) reported that the incidence of circumcision has fallen by 36 percent to 14 percent according to the Association for Genital Integrity, while Statistics Canada reported a high of 29.5 percent in P.E.I. and a low of 1.1 percent in Nova Scotia.[9] [10]

Availability of third-party payment

Canada has fourteen single-payer health insurance plans — one for each of the ten provinces and three territories and a 14th plan for government employees. The British Columbia HIP stopped paying for non-therapeutic circumcision in the 1980s. Ontario HIP stopped payment for non-therapeutic circumcision in July 1995; Saskatchewan stopped in 1996. One by one, all other HIPs have stopped paying for non-therapeutic circumcision. Manitoba HIP was the last to stop, but only after the wrong boy was circumcised at St. Boniface Hospital.[11]

Third-party payment for non-therapeutic circumcision is not presently available anywhere in Canada. Parents who wish to have a son circumcised must pay out-of-pocket for the costs of the circumcision.[12]

Reasons for circumcision

Rediger & Muller (2013) found "newborn male circumcision rates continue to be heavily influenced by the circumcision status of the child's father."[12]

Canadian circumcision deaths

Two deaths caused by circumcision have been reported in Canada, one in British Columbia and one in Ontario. There may be others because death by circumcision may not be properly reported.

Non-therapeutic circumcision and Canadian law

Non-therapeutic circumcision of children in Canada is a practice that is of doubtful lawfulness.

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982), Article 7 provides every Canadian with the right to security of the person.

In addition, Canada is a state-party to the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), both of which provide various rights violated by non-therapeutic child circumcision.

Several decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada call consent for non-therapeutic circumcision of a child in question, but no case so far has ruled on the matter of circumcision.

Suzanne Bouclin (2005) has examined the issues and concluded:

Public awareness is increasing, as evidenced by the numerous parents, health practitioners, children’s rights activists, ethicists, lawyers, and concerned citizens who have voiced their opinion. Insofar as male circumcision is the removal of healthy erogenous flesh without medical purpose and without the consent of the child and given that it is a painful procedure, neonatal circumcision is unnecessary and may well violate a child’s bodily integrity.[13]

References

  1. ↑ REFjournal Pirie, George R.. The story of circumcision. Can Med Assoc J. July 1927; 17(12): 1540-2. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  2. ↑ REFjournal Patel, Hawa. The problem of routine infant circumcision. Can Med Assoc J. 1066; 95: 576-81. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  3. ↑ REFjournal Wirth, John L.. Current circumcision practices: Canada. Pediatrics. 1980; 66(5): 705-8. PMID. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  4. ↑ REFjournal Swyer, P.R., Boston, R.W., Murdock, A., Paré, C., Rees, E., Segal, S., Sinclair, J.C.. FN 75 Circumcision in the newborn period. CPS News Bull Suppl. 1975; 8(2): 1-2. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  5. ↑ REFjournal Outerbridge, Eugene. Neonatal circumcision revisited. Can Med Assoc J. 15 March 1996; 154(6): 769-80. PMID. PMC. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  6. ↑ REFjournal Sorokin, S. Todd, Finlay, JC, Jeffries, AL, et al. Newborn male circumcision. Paediatr Child Health. August 2015; 20(6): 311-20. PMID. PMC. DOI. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  7. ↑ REFjournal Dave, Sumit, et al. [1]. Can Urol Assoc J. February 2018; 12(2): 18-28. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  8. ↑ REFnews Johnston, David (11 September 1995)."Under the Knife", Toronto Star. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  9. ↑ REFnews (23 March 2006)."Rates of circumcision slashed in past 30 years.", The Gazette. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  10. ↑ REFnews MacDonald, Andrea (25 March 2006)."Circumcisions continue to drop: Province has second-lowest rate in the country", Halifax Daily News. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  11. ↑ REFnews "Circumcision mix-up", Canada.com. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  12. ↑ a b REFjournal Rediger, Chris, Muller, Andries J.. Parents' rationale for male circumcision. Can Fam Physician. February 2013; 59(2): e110-5. PMID. PMC. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  13. ↑ REFjournal Bouclin, Suzanne. An examination of legal and ethical issues surrounding male circumcision: the Canadian context. Int J Mens Health. 2005; 4(3): 205-23. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
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