Critical evaluation of unscientific arguments disparaging affirmative infant male circumcision policy  

作　　者：Brian J Morris John N Krieger Jeffrey D Klausner 

机构地区：[1]School of Medical Sciences,University of Sydney [2]Section of Urology,VA Puget Sound Health Care System and School of Medicine,University of Washington [3]Division of Infectious Diseases,Department of Medicine,David Geffen School of Medicine,University of California Los Angeles

出　　处：《World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics》2016年第3期251-261,共11页世界临床儿科杂志

摘　　要：We evaluate recent claims opposing infant male circumcision,a procedure now supported by the evidencebased policy of the American Academy of Pediatrics.We find those criticisms depend on speculative claims about the foreskin and obfuscation of the strong scientific evidence supporting pediatric policy development.An argument that circumcision should be delayed to allow a boy to make up his own mind as an adult fails to appreciate the psychological,scheduling and financial burdens later circumcision entails,so reducing the likelihood that it will occur.In contrast,early infant circumcision is convenient,safer,quicker,lower risk,healing is faster,cosmetic outcome is routinely good and the lifetime benefits accrue immediately.Benefits include reduction in urinary tract infections,inflammatory skin conditions,foreskin problems,and,when older,substantial protection against sexually transmitted infections and genital cancers in the male and his female sexual partners.Some authorities regard the failure to offer parents early infant circumcision as unethical,just as it would be unethical to fail to encourage the vaccination of children.In conclusion,the criticisms of evidence-based infant male circumcision policy are seriously flawed and should be dismissed as unhelpful to evidence-based development and implementation of pediatric policy intended to improve public health and individual wellbeing.We evaluate recent claims opposing infant male circumcision,a procedure now supported by the evidencebased policy of the American Academy of Pediatrics.We find those criticisms depend on speculative claims about the foreskin and obfuscation of the strong scientific evidence supporting pediatric policy development.An argument that circumcision should be delayed to allow a boy to make up his own mind as an adult fails to appreciate the psychological,scheduling and financial burdens later circumcision entails,so reducing the likelihood that it will occur.In contrast,early infant circumcision is convenient,safer,quicker,lower risk,healing is faster,cosmetic outcome is routinely good and the lifetime benefits accrue immediately.Benefits include reduction in urinary tract infections,inflammatory skin conditions,foreskin problems,and,when older,substantial protection against sexually transmitted infections and genital cancers in the male and his female sexual partners.Some authorities regard the failure to offer parents early infant circumcision as unethical,just as it would be unethical to fail to encourage the vaccination of children.In conclusion,the criticisms of evidence-based infant male circumcision policy are seriously flawed and should be dismissed as unhelpful to evidence-based development and implementation of pediatric policy intended to improve public health and individual wellbeing.

关 键 词：Male CIRCUMCISION POLICY American Academy of PEDIATRICS NEWBORN FORESKIN 

分 类 号：R726.9[医药卫生—儿科]