unbiased resources for circumcision?

[kindacrunchymama]

Hi All,

I am looking for "unbiased" resources on circumcision. Though I have made up my mind to not circumcise, my husband is still on the fence. I know he can easily be convinced, with the "right" information. He is an engineer, and needs information presented in a scientific, unbiased format for feel the source is valid. I have sent him the highly referenced article from Mothering by Paul Fleiss, but with a title like "The Case Against Circumcision", my husband feels that such biased information lacks a certain validity. Because there are few valid arguments (aside from religious, which doesn't apply to us) for circumcision, I am finding such unbiased resources difficult to locate.

As I said, I know he can be convinced, if I can just get his hands on some "scientific", unbiased, "valid" resources. Any help is appreciated.
Thank you!

[KBinSATX]

Have you looked at this: http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/

I can imagine it to be fairly difficult to find truly unbiased resources since it's difficult to stay unbiased when such a horrific act of violence is commited against an unconsenting child.

[Fellow Traveler]

Originally Posted by kindacrunchymama

Hi All,

I am looking for "unbiased" resources on circumcision. Though I have made up my mind to not circumcise, my husband is still on the fence. I know he can easily be convinced, with the "right" information.

As I said, I know he can be convinced, if I can just get his hands on some "scientific", unbiased, "valid" resources. Any help is appreciated.
Thank you!

Well, you could start with something like this statement from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

http://www.racp.edu.au/download.cfm?...36DF59A1BAF527

Also, it's useful to find out what his concerns really are and then help him see why they are unfounded.

Welcome to the board by the way and feel free to ask for anything.

[glongley]

A thought: if he's the one who's so rational, how about the responsibility on him to do the research and try to justify to you why it needs to be done. If he rejects sources as being biased, you challenge him to find information that isn't biased that justifies the necessity of circumcision. He won't be able to do it. If he is concerned about a particular medical claim, let us know and we can provide counterarguments and references to rebut it.

Back to your question of "unbiased" sources (though even the AAP has its blind spots), how about the recommendations from the various medical organizations? - all of which say that it's not necessary and that it should not be recommended as a routine procedure.

There are links to all the major ones here:
http://www.cirp.org/library/statements/

And here is a page with excerpts from the recommendations of each of the above: http://www.circumcision.org/position.htm

If he is concerned about a particular medical claim, let us know and we can provide counterarguments and references to rebut it.

Also, there are ethical issues to evaluating the so-called medical benefits as well. Refer him to this excerpt on the ethics of infant circumcision for medical reasons:

>>>QUOTE>>>>

A common error made by those who want to justify infant male circumcision on the basis of medical benefits is that they believe that as long as some such benefits are present, circumcision can be justified as therapeutic, in the sense of preventive health care.

This is not correct.

A medical-benefits or 'therapeutic' justification requires that:

1) overall the medical benefits sought outweigh the risks and harms of the procedure required to obtain them,

2) that this procedure is the only reasonable way to obtain these benefits, and

3) that these benefits are necessary to the well-being of the child.

None of these conditions is fulfilled for routine infant male circumcision.

If we view a child's foreskin as having a valid function, we are no more justified in amputating it than any other part of the child's body unless the operation is medically required treatment and the least harmful way to provide that treatment.

From: The Ethical Canary: Science, Society and the Human Spirit by Margaret Somerville. Toronto, 2000

Margaret Sommerville is a lawyer and bioethicist, and is the founding director of the Centre for Medicine, Ethics, and Law at McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

Gillian

[Tinijocaro]

Originally Posted by kindacrunchymama

biased information lacks a certain validity. Because there are few valid arguments (aside from religious, which doesn't apply to us) for circumcision, I am finding such unbiased resources difficult to locate.

As I said, I know he can be convinced, if I can just get his hands on some "scientific", unbiased, "valid" resources. Any help is appreciated.
Thank you!

Since dh is advocating surgery, he should be able to show you at least one MAJOR medical organization that recommends circ. He really is the one who should be proving to you why it needs to be done. The one who recommends surgery on a body part that is not defective should be the one to provide proof of necessity.

If this approach won't work, show him that you can find no major medical organization that recommends circ, maybe he can help you.

[latinalonestar]

www.cirp.org

[kindacrunchymama]

Originally Posted by jwhispers

Well, you could start with something like this statement from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

http://www.racp.edu.au/download.cfm?...36DF59A1BAF527

Also, it's useful to find out what his concerns really are and then help him see why they are unfounded.

Welcome to the board by the way and feel free to ask for anything.

PERFECT Resource... THANK YOU!

[latinalonestar]

Check your email I sent you an email with tons of resources. If you email me back I can send you the actual pdf which is a newsletter type format.