Changes

Two factors make the difference between a mutilation and surgical procedure; medical necessity and/or [[informed consent]]. If there is no medical necessity, a procedure is still valid and acceptable if the recipient gives his or her full consent. This must happen in elective cosmetic surgery for example. When there is a medical necessity, but the patient is a minor, this decision must be left up to the minor's parents or guardians. The controversy in male circumcision is in that it is usually performed on a healthy, non-consenting minor where there is no medical necessity or clinical indication. Can a doctor perform non-medical surgerey on a healthy, non-consenting child without a medical necessity or clinical indication, let alone give parents or guardians the option?