17,092
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Add RACP
== Circumcision in New Zealand ==
The incidence of male neonatal non-therapeutic medically unnecessary circumcision in New Zealand among white New Zealanders rose to about 95 percent in the 1940s. The incidence of male neonatal non-therapeutic circumcision started to decline about 1950. The decline seems to have been triggered by the publication of [[Douglas Gairdner]]'s classic 1949 paper, ''The Fate of the Foreskin: A Study of Circumcision''<ref name="gairdner1949">{{REFjournal
|last=Gairdner
|first=D.M.
|quote=
}}</ref>
The[https://www.racp.edu.au/ Royal Australasian College of Physicians] (RACP) has issued a statement on non-therapeutic child circumcision. (Australasia includes New Zealand) The statement (2010) states:
<blockquote>
After reviewing the currently available evidence, the RACP believes that the frequency of diseases modifiable by circumcision, the level of protection offered by circumcision and the complication rates of circumcision do not warrant routine infant circumcision in Australia and New Zealand. However it is reasonable for parents to weigh the benefits and risks of circumcision and to make the decision whether or not to circumcise their sons.
</blockquote>
But the statement also says:
<blockquote>
The option of leaving circumcision until later, when the boy is old enough to make a decision for himself does need to be raised with parents and considered. This option has recently been recommended by the Royal Dutch Medical Association. The ethical merit of this option is that it seeks to respect the child’s physical integrity, and capacity for autonomy by leaving the options open for him to make his own autonomous choice in the future. However, deferring the decision may not always be the best option. As noted earlier, the psychosocial benefits of circumcision (e.g. full inclusion in a religious community) may only be obtained if circumcision is done in infancy. Waiting until the boy is twelve years old or more (i.e. old enough to make his own decision) may mean losing benefits that circumcision was intended to produce.<ref name="racp2010">{{REFdocument
|title=Circumcision of Infant Males
|url=https://www.racp.edu.au//docs/default-source/advocacy-library/circumcision-of-infant-males.pdf?sfvrsn=eaa32f1a_10
|contribution=
|last=
|first=
|publisher=The Royal Australasian College of Physicians
|format=PDF
|date=2010-09-01
|accessdate=2019-10-29
}}</ref>
</blockquote>
==Demographics and distribution==