Robert S Van Howe, J. Steven Svoboda, J. G. Dwyer And C.P. Price
“Involuntary circumcision: the legal issues”
British Journal of Urology International, Volume 83 Supplement 1, pp. 63-73, January 1, 1999.
www.cirp.org/library/legal/vanhowe5/
R.S. VAN HOWE, J.S. SVOBODA*, J. G. DWYER†, and C. P. PRICE
Medical College of Wisconsin, Department of Paediatrics, Marshfield Clinic — Lakeland Center, Minocqua, WI, *Attorneys for the Rights of the Child and †University of Wyoming, USA
Introduction
Circumcision is the amputation of the prepuce from the rest of the penis, resulting in permanent alteration of the anatomy, histology and function of the penis [1,2]. Recently, legal scholars have challenged the legality of neonatal circumcision [3–7] and argued that it constitutes child abuse [8,9]. While this conjecture may seem outlandish to American physicians, who tend to a population in which 70–90% of the males are circumcised neonatally, such claims have a strong foundation in legal precedent and medico-ethical standards that aim to protect the bodily integrity of persons.