New circumcision policy issued in British Columbia
A new policy on infant male circumcision was released today by the College of Physicians & Surgeons of British Columbia, the provincial medical licensing authority. The policy, originally scheduled to be released in February, expands on a statement that appeared in the Fall, 2002 issue of the College's quarterly newsletter.

The new guideline outlines the ethical, legal, and human rights problems associated with infant male circumcision.

Excerpts:

• "Routine infant male circumcision performed on a healthy infant is now considered a non-therapeutic and medically unnecessary intervention."
   
• "Proxy consent by parents for a non-therapeutic procedure is debatable."
   
• "Advise parents that the current medical consensus is that routine infant male circumcision is not a recommended procedure; it is non-therapeutic and has no medical prophylactic basis; it is a cosmetic surgical procedure; current evidence indicates that previously-thought prophylactic public health benefits do not outweigh the potential risks."

[Full text of B.C. policy]

College's correspondence with activists

and ethicists.

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