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Originally Posted by Quirky
I disagree. If doctors en masse refused to perform this unnecessary cosmetic surgery on babies, it would end tomorrow. Parents may want circ but it's doctors who do it (and nurses who assist, and hospitals that make money off it) that perpetuate this shameful tradition. If the healthcare industry refused to perform or pay for RIC, it would die out quicker than the dodo. Yes, religious circs would continue, and yes, some non-religious people would be so motivated to circ that they would seek out a religious circ provider, but the rates of RIC would drop through the floor into the single digits. Parents may want circs but it's docs who do the cutting (and nurses who do the assisting).
I have seen way too many posts here and heard from way too many people in real life about the doctors who personally oppose circ....but do them anyway. About midwives who personally oppose circ....but do them anyway. About medical professionals of all varieties who oppose circ...but don't offer that opinion until AFTER the decision has been made. As in, "You didn't circ! That's great! There's no reason for it, anyway." Yeah, well, where is that statement being made to parents ahead of time? And it is a total copout to "educate" parents but then follow through by performing the circ if they really want it. The only ethical RIC is the one that isn't performed.
I fully realize that many doctors and nurses, like yourself, take the ethical high road. But I daresay you're in the minority still. If it were otherwise, we wouldn't still have a national circ rate of over a million baby boys a year, slightly more than half of all boys born every year. What other procedure can you think of that we leave it up to the parents to educate themselves about? It is the healthcare professional's obligation to ensure true informed consent. Yes, parents should educate and inform themselves - ITA. But as far as a professional, ethical obligation to refuse to perform circs - that's on the healthcare professional.
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Quirky, I agree with you 100% on this. This abuse of men was started by the medical profession, it has been perpetuated by the medical profession and is being continued by the medical profession.
They are the sole reason it is still happening.
For an example, several years ago, a study was done in a Hawaiian military hospital where the researchers could be assured of 100% participation. All they had to do was truly give parents full information for truly informed consent. The circumcision rate instantly dropped from ~80% to ~20%. They still performed circumcisions on demand but they were required to give the parents complete information on what they were requesting.
Another more real world example that hasn't even required anything is after the death of Ryleigh McWillis, the medical profession in Canada started paying attention to what some of their medical associations were saying and the circumcision rate dropped 40% in a single year in Manitoba and there were similar drops in Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia and the national rate dropped from 17% to 10% in a single 2 year period. My understanding is that there is only one single Jewish doctor in the Vancouver area who will still perform circumcisions.
There are 4 links in the chain of abuse, the doctors, the nurses, the hospitals and the parents. Break a single link in the chain and circumcision is dead. If the doctors refuse to perform circumcisions, there will be no more. If the nurses refuse to assist, there will be no more . If the hospitals refuse to allow their premises to be used, there will be no more and if parents refuse, there will be no more. It comes down to who is the most responsible to make the biggest and quickest change to irrepairably break the chain. Of course, that's the doctors because they are responsible for informing parents and they are the ones who do the cutting and they are the ones that benefit the most financially. But, nurses are also responsible because they play an active role. They give information and they aid and assist in the violation. Hospitals also benefit financially and make it easy for doctors to perform the procedure outside normal business hours and not to tie up the doctor's facilities and resources. Parents have the least responsibility because they assume almost all of the risk and expense and are the least responsible for having the medical knowledge to know that circumcision is nothing more than a violation and risk. That's not to say they have no responsibility, just less than the professionals.
If there are no doctors to perform the procedure, there will be no procedures. If there are no nurses to prepare or assist, the doctors will soon give it up. If there are no hospitals that support it and allow it, it becomes more troublesome for doctors and parents will begin to question why.
Something as remote as insurers refusing to pay would have a tremendous impact. Insurance companies universally refusing to pay (Including Medicare) would decrease the circumcision rate 50% or more from the current rate virtualy over night.
The whole circumcision craze is a house of cards. Remove a single card and the whole thing comes tumbling down. Just a single element of the medical profession wing would bring the whole thing to the ground and it's the medical profession that should be leading the way. Instead, it's the medical profession that is fighting tooth and nail.
Frank
I do want to state that I totally respect nurses who refuse to assist....I can see how it's much harder for nurses to take a stand given that you're in a less powerful position vis-a-vis the doctors and the hospital, and I applaud your courage and conviction.
