Circumcisions spark debate in Windsor, Ont.
An article on the front page of the main daily newspaper in Windsor, Ont. (pop. 331,000) provoked a strong reaction from the city’s medical community. The article, which was published on Saturday, March 19th in The Windsor Star, was headlined, “Circumcisions spark debate: local rate four times national average; MD says doctors may be in it for the money.”

The gist of the article was that the infant male circumcision rate at Windsor Regional Hospital was 51 percent, well above the provincial and national averages. A local physician suggested that his colleagues might be taking advantage of the opportunity to make a buck. The story was reported in CanWest Global newspapers as far away as Calgary.

The president of the local medical association, Dr. Joseph Shaban, termed the article “unfair to the ethical and hard-working physicians in this city.” Dr. Shaban questioned the article’s statistics, which were supplied by the Association for Genital Integrity.

Association spokesperson Dr. Arif Bhimji defended the group’s statistics. “Our figures were compiled from Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care databases,” said Dr. Bhimji.

Raising the issue of medical ethics, Dr. Bhimji noted that infant male circumcision is not recommended by the Canadian Paediatric Society. “The Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan and British Columbia have expressed unease about the ethical and human rights aspects of infant male circumcision, and have also raised serious concerns about the ability of parents to consent to the procedure,” Dr. Bhimji said.

[Windsor Star article and follow-up letters]

Additional information

Circumcision practices in Canada are characterized by wide regional variations. Rates of newborn circumcision range from zero in some northern and eastern regions to over 50% in Windsor, Ont., which is immediately adjacent to Detroit, Mich. Wide variations in surgical rates, when unrelated to clinical need, raise concerns about the quality and cost of care.

[Circumcision rates, Ontario, 1990s]

[Circumcision rates, Canada, 2002/03]
 
 

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