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Hon. James Flaherty, Attorney General
Hon. David Tsubouchi, Solicitor General
Hon. Elizabeth Witmer, Minister of Health
Queen's Park, Toronto

Dear Ministers:

I am writing in regard to a recent news item about the transplantation of human tissue. The National Post reported on June 22, 2000 that a Toronto-based company is using cells from neonatal foreskins to develop a skin replacement product for use in treating burns and festering wounds. I would like to inquire about the ethical and legal implications of such a project.

Below is some background information:

1. Routine circumcision is not required for an infant's mental or physical health. The operation is not recommended by the Canadian Paediatric Society, and it is not an insured service under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).
    
2. The foreskin is made up of specialized sexual tissue that "provides a large and important platform for several nerves and nerve endings." (J. R. Taylor et al., "The prepuce: specialized mucosa of the penis and its loss to circumcision", British Journal of Urology, 77:291-295, 1996).
    
3. Two of Canada's leading medical ethicists, Dr. Margaret A. Somerville (founding director of the McGill Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law) and Dr. Eike-Henner Kluge (founding director of the dep