Changes

In August 2017, the American Medical Association ''Journal of Ethics'' featured two separate articles challenging the morality of performing non-therapeutic infant circumcision.

|date=2017-08-01

|title=Nontherapeutic Circumcision of Minors as an Ethically Problematic Form of Iatrogenic Injury

}}</ref> He states that this decision should be considered in the context of benefit vs risk of harm, rather than simply risk-benefit due to the non-therapeutic nature of the procedure.<ref name="svoboda2017"/> He states that benefits do not outweigh the risks, and also claims that foreskin removal should be considered a sexual harm.<ref name="svoboda2017"/> He also goes on to conclude that non-therapeutic circumcision largely violates the physician's duty to respect a patient's autonomy since many procedures take place before a patient is able to freely give consent himself.<ref name="svoboda2017"/>

|date=2017-08-01

|title=Are Physicians Blameworthy for Iatrogenic Harm Resulting from Unnecessary Genital Surgeries?

|first2=E.

}}</ref> They state that if physicians outline all the currently known risks and benefits of the procedure to the parents and believes the procedure is indeed medically indicated, they cannot be held accountable for any harm from the procedure.<ref name="reis-reis2017"/> However, they still advise against physicians recommending unnecessary, irreversible surgeries, which is a category circumcision falls in frequently.<ref name="reis-reis2017"/>

==Principles of medical ethics==

The four main principles of medical ethics are: