Furthermore, male circumcision ahs shown benefits such as the reduction of sexually transmitted infections such as the human pailloma virus, chancroid and syphilis. She also cites studies that indicated a reduced risk of HIV infection in males who have been circumcised.
Indeed, there are quite humane ways to circumcise infants with the minimal amount of stress and pain today. Furthermore, cultural and religious reasons for performing the ritual cannot be discarded. Particularly when done under the correct and most humane possible circumstances, cultural practices should not be prohibited.
Having said this, and considering the issue from all viewpoints, however, the fact remains that infant male circumcision is the removal of part of the human body without the consent of its owner, the child. It carries significant risks, especially in such small children, which should be taken into account especially when performing the procedure for reasons that are not compulsory at the time. One could agree with Hinchley and Manimale, that the practice is a violation of the rights of the child, not least because...
All the benefits of circumcision mentioned above only come into effect in the adult male. Therefore, there is little reason to circumcise babies by "default" as it were. I would therefore advocate that male
children who cannot yet make the choice for themselves should only be circumcised if medical reasons make this mandatory. In all other cases, the child should be able to make his own choice regarding circumcision, when all the risks and benefits can be explained and understood in a rational manner.
In terms of culture, the same principle should apply. Like choosing religion, children should be able to choose whether to
honor the
culture into which they were born or not. Today, in a globalized world, the choice of a child's life direction no longer falls to the mandate of the
parents. Children, even more than other human beings, should have rights to protect their lives and their bodies from violations for reasons no better than cultural tradition.
References
Bering, J. (2010, Apr. 23). Is male circumcision a humanitarian act? Scientific American: Bering in Mind. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=is-male-circumcision-a-humanitarian-2010-04-23
Hinchley, G. And Patrick, K. (2007, Dec 8). Is Infant Male Circumcision an Abuse of the Rights of the Child? Science Daily. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071207120817.htm
Manimale, N. (2010, Mar 15).
CDC should not recommend infant male circumcision. The Oracle Online. Retrieved from http://www.usforacle.com/cdc-should-not-recommend-infant-male-circumcision-1.2191240