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}}</ref> Circumcision excises the highly functional foreskin, which provides numerous protective, immunological, sensory, and sexual functions,<ref name="cold1999">{{ColdCJ TaylorJR 1999}}</ref> so it is an irreversible, lasting injury. Bellini (2022) considered that the pain of neonatal circumcision "can have long term consequences for the developing child."<ref name="bellini2022 /> Non-therapeutic circumcision of male minors is ''not'' the standard of care.
Nevertheless, some non-therapeutic circumcisions of boys will continue to be performed for religious reasons, ethnic reasons, and the[[Adamant father syndrome| emotional needs of parents]]. When a [[circumcision]] is to be performed, the standard of care requires that analgesia be provided to reduce the extreme level of pain and trauma.<ref name="poland1987"/><ref name="cps1996"/><ref name="lander1997"/><ref name="aap1999"/> (Total anesthesia cannot be used with infants.) The Australian Association of Paediatric Surgeons (AAPS) (1996) opposed the practice of infant circumcision, but recognized that it would be performed for religious, cultural, or family reasons, in which case, the non-therapeutic [[circumcision]] should be deferred for six months, so that general anesthesia may be used. The AAPS stated:
<blockquote>
In this event the procedure should be performed electively after six months of age. When performed, it should be carried out by a surgeon performing circumcisions on children on a regular basis with an anaesthetist using appropriate techniques. This would imply that the anaesthetist is fully trained in the art of paediatric anaesthesia, including the ability to perform caudal and penile regional or local anaesthesia. The operation should be carried out in a paediatrically orientated environment, designed to reduce the risk to the child and providing support to the parents or caregivers.<ref>{{REFdocument