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Male [[circumcision]] is the surgical removal of the [[foreskin]] (prepuce) from the human [[penis]].<ref name=sawyer_2011>{{REFbook
|last=Sawyer
|init=S
}}</ref><ref name="bma2006">Committee on Medical Ethics. [https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/ethics/children-and-young-people/non-therapeutic-male-circumcision-of-children-ethics-toolkit The law and ethics of male circumcision: Guidance for doctors]. London: British Medical Association 2006.</ref>
Some medical associations take formerly took the position that the parents should determine what is in the best interest of the infant or child.<ref name="AAP1999">{{REFjournal
|last=Task force on circumcision
|title=Circumcision policy statement
|pubmedID=10049981
|pubmedCID=
}},</ref> however the AAP has now abandoned all previous position statements on male [[circumcision]]. Others say that circumcision is an infringement of the child's autonomy and should be delayed until he is capable of making the decision himself.<ref name="KNMG2010">[http://circumstitions.com/Docs/KNMG-policy.pdf Non-Therapeutic Circumcision of Male Minors]. Utrecht: Royal Dutch Medical Association, 2010.</ref>A circumcision operation may be performed at any age, so an [[intact]] boy may elect to have a [[circumcision]] whenever he wishes.
==Medical societies views==
The [https://www.racp.edu.au/ Royal Australasian College of Physicians] (2010) released a statement indicating that neonatal male circumcision "generally considered an ethical procedure", provided that 1) the child's decision makers, typically the parents, are acting in best interest of child and have been given full knowledge and 2) the procedure is performed by a competent provider, with sufficient analgesia, and does not unnecessarily harm the child or have substantial risks.<ref name="racp2010">[https://www.racp.edu.au/docs/default-source/advocacy-library/circumcision-of-infant-males.pdf Circumcision of Male Infants.] [[Royal Australasian College of Physicians]]. September 2010.</ref> They argue that parents should be allowed to be the primary decision-makers because providers may not understand the full psychosocial benefits of circumcision.<ref name="racp2010" /> Additionally, this procedure does not present substantial harm compared to its potential benefits, so parents should be allowed full decision-making capacity as long as they are educated properly.<ref name="racp2010"/>
This statement also recognizes that waiting until the boy is of sufficient age to make his own decision would better respect his autonomy, but points out that this may interfere with a child's religious inclusion that [[circumcision ]] was meant to confer.<ref name="racp2010"/> With neonatal male circumcision, they acknowledge that the child may later on disagree with the parents' decision <ref name="racp2010"/> but using the same reasoning, an [[uncircumcised]] child may also disagree with his parents' decision not to have him circumcised in infancy.,<ref name="racp2010"/>but he can have a circumcision at any age.
===Canada===