Australia

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A report on circumcision in Australia.

Australia, like other English-speaking countries, once had a rather high rate of non-therapeutic neonatal circumcision of male infants, however Australia now (2019) has a very low rate of non-therapeutic neonatal circumcision.

History

The indigeous people of Australia, the Aborgines, have variously practiced subincision and circumcision since before the first contact with Europeans.

The incidence of non-therapeutic neonatal circumcision in Australia approached that of the United States in the 1930s through 1960s.

Douglas Gairdner's famous, classic 1949 paper, The Fate of the Foreskin: A Study of Circumcision,[1] seems to have had no effect in Australia.

Wright (1967) slammed the practice of non-therapeutic circumcision.[2]

The Australian Paediatric Journal issue of June 1970, published three articles critical of non-therapeutic infant circumcision.[3][4][5]

Position statements of medical societies

After considering the three papers published in the Australian Paediatric Journal, the Australian Paediatric Society adopted a resolution on April 24, 1971 that the circumcision of male infants should not be performed as a routine measure. That resolution subsequently was reported in a letter published in the Medical Journal of Australia on May 22, 1971.[6]

The incidence of non-therapeutic child circumcision in Australia started to decline after the publication of the Belaine (1971) letter. By 1978, only 50 percent of newborn boys were being circumcised.

The incidence of circumcision continued to decline, so that by 1996, when the Australian College of Paediatrics issued a statement, it reported that the incidence of "routine" (i.e. non-therapeutic) circumcision was estimated at ten percent of newborn boys.[7]

Circumcision in the 21st Century

The several Australian states operate public hospitals. By 2008 all public hospitals in all states no longer offer non-therapeutic circumcision to patients.[8]

As the incidence of non-therapeutic circumcision has declined, the incidence of infant deaths and SIDS deaths has also declined, while the overall health of Australia's children has improved.[9]

External links

References

  1. REFjournal Gairdner, Douglas M.. The fate of the foreskin: a study of circumcision. British Medical Journal. 1949; 2(4642): 1433-1437. PMID. PMC. DOI. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  2. REFjournal Wright, JE. Non-therapeutic circumcision. Med J Aust location=. 27 May 1967; 1: 1083-7. PMID. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  3. REFjournal Leitch, I.O., et al. Circumcision: the continuing enigma. Aust Paediatr J. March 1970; 6(1): 59-65. PMID. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  4. REFjournal Birrell, R.G.. Circumcision. Aust Paediatr J. June 1960; 6(2): 66-7. PMID. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  5. REFjournal Smith, E.D.. Another view of circumcision. Aust Paediatr J. June 1970; 6(2): 67-9. PMID. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  6. REFjournal Belmaine, SP. Circumcision. Medical Journal of Australia. 22 May 1971; 1: 1148. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  7. REFweb Statement (27 May 1996). Routine circumcision of normal male infants and boys, Australian College of Paediatrics. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  8. REFweb [<url> parameter missing!]'[<title> parameter missing!]'.
  9. REFbook Eldridge, Deanna, Macdonald, Malcolm (2009): 4, in: A Picture of Australia's Children 2009. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Pp. 12-16. ISBN SBN 978 1 74024 929 4. Retrieved 19 October 2019.