Professional Documents
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Circumcision: The Parent's Decision
Circumcision: The Parent's Decision
B. Procedures: For infant circumcision, clamps are often used. Clamps are
designed to cut the blood supply to the foreskin, stop any bleeding and
protect the glans. Before using a clamp, the foreskin and the glans are
separated with a blunt probe and/or curved hemostat.
Some medical associations take the position that the parents should
determine what is in the best interest of the infant or child, but the Royal
Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) and the British Medical Association
(BMA) observe that controversy exists on this issue. The BMA state that they
believe in general, "the parents should determine how best to promote their
children’s interests, and it is for society to decide what limits should be
imposed on parental choices." They state that because they believe parents'
interests and the child's interests sometimes differ, there are "limits on
parents' rights to choose and parents are not entitled to demand medical
procedures contrary to their child's best interests." They state that they
believe competent children may decide for themselves.
Some argue that the medical problems that have their risk reduced by
circumcision are already rare, can be avoided, and, if they occur, can usually
be treated in less invasive ways than circumcision. Somerville states that the
removal of healthy genital tissue from a minor should not be subject to
parental discretion and that physicians who perform the procedure are not
acting in accordance with their ethical duties to the patient.
Others believe neonatal circumcision is permissible, if parents should so
choose. Benatar and Benatar argue that circumcision can be beneficial to a
male before he would be able to otherwise provide consent, that "it is far
from obvious that circumcision reduces sexual pleasure," and that "it is far
from clear that non-circumcision leaves open a future person’s options in
every regard." In a cultural or religious context, Levenson argues that
circumcision is of significant enough importance that parental consent is
sufficient and that any possible misgivings surrounding the issue of consent
are not significant enough to limit the exercise of infant/childhood
circumcision.
Some critics of circumcision say that there are risks for: infection, bleeding,
future sexual dysfunctions, post traumatic stress disorder, pain, neurological
effects, and changes in sleep patterns. However we were unable to find such
claims in a scientific study.
A. Summary:
B. Some Studies:
A. Definition:
This was a process of becoming clean and symbolized a removal of the unclean.
Brit milah is considered to be so important that should the eighth day fall on
the Shabbat; actions that would normally be forbidden because of the set
apartness of the day are permitted in order to fulfill the requirement to
circumcise.
A. In Scriptures:
In 1935, professor H. Dam proposed the name “vitamin K” for the factor in
foods that helped prevent hemorrhaging in baby chicks. We now know
vitamin K is responsible for the production (by the liver) of the element
known as pro-throm-bin. If vitamin K is deficient, there will be a prothrombin
deficiency and hemorrhaging may occur. Oddly, it is only on the fifth through
the seventh days of the newborn male’s life that vitamin K (produced by
bacteria in the intestinal tract) is present in adequate quantities. Vitamin K,
coupled with prothrombin, causes blood coagulation, which is important in
any surgical procedure. Holt and McIntosh, in their classic work, Holt
Pediatrics, observed that a newborn infant has “peculiar susceptibility to
bleeding between the second and fifth days of life.... Hemorrhages at this
time, though often inconsequential, are sometimes extensive; they may
produce serious damage to internal organs, especially to the brain, and cause
death from shock and exsanguinations”. Obviously, then, if vitamin K is not
produced in sufficient quantities until days five through seven, it would be
wise to postpone any surgery until some time after that. Also known as
waiting 7 days to be safe. On the eighth day, the amount of prothrombin
present actually is elevated above one-hundred percent of normal—and is the
only day in the male’s life in which this will be the case under normal
conditions. If surgery is to be performed, day eight is the perfect day to do it.
Vitamin K and prothrombin levels are at their peak. Please reference the
chart on your handouts for a visual representation of this peak.
Please reference the “Great Resources for mom and dad” on your handout:
Strong’s 5234: Namal: to become clipped or circumcised; a branch to be cut off; karet,
"excision"
Strong’s 4135: Muwl (mool): a prime root, to cute short; cutal; prepuce to circumcise by
whole or blunt; to destroy; cut down in pieces; must needs.
Strong’s 4059: from: 574 flight to be gone; to flap up and down; to rove, flee, or to cause
drive away; chase away; could not depart/flee; remove; thrust away; wander abroad.