FLORIDA: Uncle says "the devil made me" circumcise nephew

Ocala Star Banner (Florida)
February 7, 2015

Uncle accused of trying to circumcise toddler says 'the Devil' made him do it

Austin L. Miller
OCALA — For the last seven or eight years, Larry Leroy Floyd said he has heard the same voice in his head, a voice he calls “the Devil.”

Floyd said the voice has been controlling his actions ...

On the afternoon of Jan. 31, Floyd said the voice told him to injure his nephew.

“I grabbed skin and I cut and when I was finished, I flushed the foreskin (of his nephew's penis) down the toilet. It was the worst thing it has ever told me to do,” Floyd said describing how he attempted to circumcise his 21-month-old nephew.

Charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, Floyd was arrested by Ocala police ...

The boy's father told officers he saw his son bleeding from his penis and asked Floyd what had happened. He said Floyd told him that he had tried circumcise the boy ...

In his interview with the Star-Banner, Floyd said he “was possessed at the time” he tried circumcising his nephew. He said when he “came to his senses,” he realized what he had done...

Clara Hurt, Floyd's mother, said ... the child's mother just wants to know why.

She said the little boy had some broken vessels, and doctors had to perform surgery to stabilize him.
...[Floyd's] hearing for his latest charge is slated for next month.

RWANDA: Boy dies, another has fistula after cutting

Inyenyeri News (Rwanda)
December 18, 2014

Rwanda: Families blame Circumcision for [Sickness and] Death of Children

by Venuste Mfitmana
Two families in Burera District whose children developed medical complications after undergoing circumcision recently have expressed their concerns over the safety of the procedure.

The parents of a six-year-old boy claim their son is suffering from urethrocutaneous fistula, an unusual developmental anomaly in children who present with an abnormal opening on the ventral aspect of the penis with a normal foreskin. [Obviously cut-and-pasted from a medical textbook. Urethrocutaneous fistula is also a known complication of circumcision.]

The medical complication came after the boy underwent circumcision during a campaign by the military that was held at Bungwe Health Centre in Burera in October.

This is likely to undermine government efforts to promote circumcision as one way of preventing HIV transmission.

The Ministry of Health launched free male circumcision programme in October 2011. However, last year, the ministry launched a national drive to “non-surgically” circumcise 700,000 boys and men aged 15 to 49 by the end of 2016.

The procedure involves using a plastic device called PrePex that comprises two rings and an elastic band that cuts off blood supply to the foreskin, which shrivels and is removed with the band after a week. [This may be knifeless, but it is still surgical.]

The boy’s parents have however alleged that the child received inadequate medical attention and poor treatment while he was suffering.

“After a few days of circumcision, our child started having complications every time he urinated, with pus coming from the wound where he was operated” the boy’s father said. “He also felt pain in his bladder, then urine started dripping through two small holes from his penis since his urinal valve (urethra) was damaged during surgery.

“When we realised that the problem was worsening and Bungwe Health Centre was no longer able to treat him, we were transferred to Butaro Hospital but they also failed to handle the problem.”

The case was later referred to Rwanda Military Hospital in Kanombe, Kigali. However, the aggrieved family claims the boy did not receive treatment at the hospital. Instead, they were advised to return to the hospital after six months.

“We believe there was carelessness in circumcising our child,” the mother added. “We are worried that our son’s condition may deteriorate in the absence of medicines and develop more complications.”

However, Dr Africa Gasana, a urological surgeon at the military hospital, who received the patient, explained to Rwanda Today why the child was not treated then.

“We gave the child six months to allow the wound to heal because we cannot operate on him when it is still fresh,” Dr Gasana said. “It is not the first time we have treated such ailment.”

On the parents’ fears of the boy developing other complications, the doctor said: “We gave them our phone number so that they can call us in case of another serious problem.

Aggrieved family
However, another aggrieved family claimed that their son died a few weeks after undergoing similar circumcision.

The boy’s father told Rwanda Today that the 19-year-old, who was circumcised using PrePex on October 13 during the same Army Week campaign at the health centre, died suddenly in unclear circumstances.

When he returned to hospital for check-up after a week, he developed medical complications on his way back home.

“On his way home, he felt tired and very sick,” the father said. “That night we took him to Manyagiro Health Centre but he was eventually transferred to Byumba Hospital where he died in the morning.
“When I asked the doctor what killed him, I was told that it was blood pressure.”

He said the boy had not suffered such an ailment before.

Cecile Mujawayezu, the nurse at Bungwe who did the pre-surgery screening on the boy, said he had no pre-existing medical condition.

“I screened the boy but I didn’t find any problem” Ms Mujawayezu said. “A medical autopsy showed he died of blood pressure; maybe he had it before, with low tension, which rose after he was circumcised for unknown reasons.” ["Blood pressure" is only a symptom. Could the boy have died of septic shock?]

However, the Ministry of Health maintains that, going by the procedures and medical examination, the cause of the death is not linked to circumcision.

“All the male procedures that have been undertaken, including outreach and campaigns, have been a success,” said Nathan Mugume, the head of Rwanda Health Communication Centre Division at the Ministry of Health. “They are done by experienced professionals.”

WEST PALM BEACH, FL: Demo for Chase

WPTV
November 21, 2014

Legal battle over child's circumcision prompts protest

[video] WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Protesters were near CityPlace at the intersection of Okeechobee Boulevard and Sapodilla Avenue this weekend, making their voices heard over a Florida legal battle.

A father wants to have his 4-year-old named "Chase" circumcised and the boy's mother is against it.
On Nov. 6, a court sided with the father for Chase to undergo the surgery.

“Any surgery on a child is extremely traumatic, and it doesn't make any sense to do on a healthy kid,” said protester Jonathan Friedman.

Earlier story

COLOGNE, etc: Demonstrations mark court ruling

May 7, 2013

Demonstrations mark anniversary of Cologne court ruling

Demonstrations were held in widely-scattered places today to mark the first anniversary of the historic Cologne court ruling that infant circumcision is a breach of human rights.

That decision was subsequently undermined (but not overthrown) by a law pushed through under pressure from religious interests, allowing non-therapeutic circumcision.

In Cologne, German Pediatric Society President Dr. Wolfram Hartmann addressed a crowd outside the court where the decision had been handed down:


in English and German
In London, Men Do Complain demonstrated outside the German Embassy:


Demonstrations were also held in Chicago, Houston and New Orleans.

CANADA: Ethicist plays down circumcision policy change

Canadian Medical Association Bulletin
February 5, 2013

ETHICS CORNER: CIRCUMCISION

by Dr. Jeff Blackmer, Director of Ethics, CMA

What advice should a physician give to parents considering whether or not to have their baby circumcised?

For some parents, the decision is easy because of religious tenets or family tradition. For others, it involves a struggle to balance competing evidence. In Canada this evidence is evaluated and the medical standard is set by the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS), which since 1996 has held that “circumcision of newborns should not be routinely performed.”

However, in August the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated its 1999 policy on circumcision and cited evidence showing that the procedure offers some potential benefits, including lower risk of urinary tract infection (UTI), penile cancer and sexually transmitted disease (STD) infection.

There are, of course, provisos. For instance, most UTIs occur in the first year of life and can be avoided with proper hygiene, and the lower STD rates appear applicable only to certain populations, such as gay men. As well, most of the studies that were consulted by the AAP did not involve North American men. So what should doctors do when parents seek their advice? I would point out that the AAP guidelines do not advocate circumcision as standard practice and state that the final decision should be left up to the parents, as is currently the case. The CPS is currently reviewing the evidence and expects to release an updated statement of its own. Until then, its current advice stands.

So, despite all the recent publicity related to the AAP, not much has changed. Some parents will always choose circumcision, some will always reject it, and some will decide based solely on the evidence. The role of physicians in this decision-making process is simply to remain up to date on the evidence and do all they can to help parents make an informed decision.

Earlier story

SPOKANE, WASH: Bloodstained man targets clinic after gung-ho Facebook post

Inlander (Spokane, Wash)
February 27, 2013

Circumcision protester targets South Hill pediatrics clinic

by Leah Sottile

At around 3 pm today, a bearded man dressed from head to toe in white clothing stood in the crosswalk at Wall and Riverside Avenue in downtown Spokane. Above his head he thrusted a sign that read "CIRCUMCISION CRUELTY TO BOYS."

But it wasn't his sign that every passing car or pedestrian was staring at. It was the giant red stain at the crotch of his pants.

The man, whose legal name is Brother K ("K stands for kind," he says), drove here from Sacramento, Calif., to lead an anti-circumcision demonstration at Grand Pediatrics, a South Hill children's clinic, tomorrow morning. Brother K, 65, says he first became aware of the Spokane clinic after seeing a Facebook post from a nurse practitioner there that read, "Did my first circumcision on Friday … watch out boys … here I come."


Brother K says that post went viral — attracting ire from anti-circumcision activists from around the globe — before it was removed.

"It’s like she’s gloating. She’s enjoying it," he says. "She has no appreciation that she’s ripping open a human penis."

Brother K says he fundamentally objects to circumcision practices — a practice that is becoming more and more controversial among new parents.

"Right now if you did to a girl what you did to a boy, it would be a major, major felony. You would go to jail."

Brother K has been part of the long-running anti-circumcision movement since the 1970s. And after seeing the Spokane nurse's post, he felt impassioned to travel here to demonstrate at the clinic tomorrow. He says the nurse's post enraged him because of "the fact that we see a woman who is preparing a lengthy career in circumcising boys."

Though Brother K was holding his sign silently and only standing in the crosswalk when the light was red, he was certainly getting attention. Drivers slowed to take photos. As we talked, a tall young man walked up and said, frankly, "I kind of agree with you!"

He says he will attend a large-scale protest of circumcision practices in late March for Genital Integrity Awareness Week. Outfits like his — all white with just a red spot at the crotch — are what he and his fellow protestors wear, he says.

For now, it looks like he and 11 others have RSVP'd to the Facebook event for tomorrow's protest.

The Inlander contacted Grand Pediatrics to speak with the nurse, who they say is currently on vacation. An office manager says she was aware of the original posting, which has since been removed. The clinic was not aware of any demonstration plans.

As we wrapped up our conversation with Brother K, a girl with pink hair walked past, muttering "your dick's red, by the way."

He shrugged her off.

"We’re gonna hold the circumcisers' feet to the fire," he says. "People are outraged."

SASKATOON: Father's status more important than "reasons" to cut

Canadian Family Physician (also on this site)
February, 2013

Father's status influences circumcision decision

by Hugh Young

A study in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, has found that regardless of the reasons parents give to circumcise, the father's status is an important factor in the decision.

Medical student Chris Rediger and his supervisor Dr Andries Muller surveyed 230 people at prenatal classes in the Saskatoon Health Region over a 3-month period.

Of all parents responding who were expecting children, 56.4% indicated they would consider pursuing elective circumcision if they had a son; 24.3% said they would not. They were asked before any prenatal classes, which may have changed their final decision.

The reasons they most often gave for supporting male circumcision were hygiene (61.9%), prevention of infection or cancer (44.8%), and the father being circumcised (40.9%). The reasons most commonly reported for not supporting circumcision were it not being medically necessary (32.0%), the father being uncircumcised (18.8%), and concerns about bleeding or infection (15.5%).

But when the expecting father was circumcised, 81.9% of respondents were in favour of pursuing elective circumcision. When he was not circumcised, only 14.9% were in favour of pursuing elective circumcision. The result was statistically significant.


The father's circumcision status also influenced whether parents-to-be thought circumcision was safe. 82.2% with a circumcised father-to-be thinking circumcision by an experienced medical practitioner was a safe procedure for all boys, and none thinking it unsafe, compared to 64.1% of couples with an intact father-to-be thinking it safe and 7.8% thinking it unsafe.

BERLIN: Green candidate stood down for anti-circumcision poems

Haaretz
December 31, 2012

German Green candidate quits over criticisms of Jews, Muslims

Ulf Dunkel had come under fire from the national Jewish spokesman over two anti-circumcision poems he published.
 
Germany's Green Party said Monday that a candidate who had described Jews and Muslims as "arseholes" because they practice male circumcision was withdrawing from a state poll.

Ulf Dunkel had come under fire from the national Jewish spokesman over two anti-circumcision poems he published.

One termed those who circumcise their sons "arseholes" and "blind fanatics." The other included the line: "Sharpen the knife, sing a hymn, cut off the member's foreskin."

Male circumcision, which is rarely practiced in Germany on medical grounds, triggered fierce controversy in the run-up to federal legislation, introduced in mid-December, which confirmed that it is legal for parents to arrange for religiously mandated circumcision. [The law does not mention religion.]

Michael Jaeger, of the Cloppenburg chapter of the Green Party, said that while Dunkel's name would remain on the ballot in a January 20 election for the Lower Saxony state parliament, the candidate would decline to take up his seat if elected. Dunkel could not be reached for comment.

Jaeger said it was too late to take his name off the ballot because postal voting in the state had already begun.

Dieter Graumann, chairman of the Central Council of Jews, earlier appealed to the Greens to withdraw Dunkel's candidacy. "His works radiate hate-filled arrogance towards Jews and Muslims," Graumann said.

BERLIN: Majority oppose new circumcision law

Unternehmen-heute.de 22. Dezember 2012 Umfrage: Klare Mehrheit der Deutschen lehnt Beschneidungsgesetz ab von Bernd Seeger Berlin - Das vom Bundestag mit großer Mehrheit beschlossene Gesetz zur Beschneidung von Jungen wird von 70 Prozent der Deutschen abgelehnt. Das ergab eine repräsentative Umfrage des Instituts Infratest dimap im Auftrag des Vereins Mogis (Missbrauchsopfer gegen Internetsperren), die der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Sonntagszeitung vorliegt. Nur 24 Prozent der Befragten hielten das Gesetz demnach für richtig. Es erlaubt - mit einigen Auflagen - die bestehende Beschneidungspraxis. Im Bundestag hatten sich Mitte des Monats 434 Abgeordnete für die Annahme des Gesetzes entschieden. Für die Meinungsumfrage wurden 1.000 Personen am 18. und 19. Dezember befragt.

Unternehmen-heute.de December 22, 2012 Poll: Clear majority of Germans reject circumcision law by Bernd Seeger Berlin - An infant male circumcision law overwhelmingly adopted by the Bundestag is opposed by 70 percent of Germans. The findings of a representative survey by the institute Infratest dimap on behalf of the Mogis Association (abuse victims against Internet censorship) were presented in the Sunday edition of Frankfurter Allgemeinen. Only 24 percent of respondents considered the law appropriate. It allows - with a few conditions - the existing practice of circumcision. In the Bundestag at the middle of the month 434 MPs had decided to pass the law. In the survey, 1,000 people were questioned on 18 and 19 December. Earlier story

MANCHESTER: Nurse guilty of manslaughter after circumcision death

BBC
December 14, 2012

Grace Adeleye guilty of killing baby in botched circumcision

A nurse has been found guilty of manslaughter after causing a baby's death by botching his circumcision.

Grace Adeleye, 67, carried out the procedure on four-week-old Goodluck Caubergs at an address in Chadderton, Oldham, in April 2010.

The boy bled to death before he could reach hospital the following day.

Adeleye was found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence at Manchester Crown Court.

The nurse, who denied the charge, had told the jury she had done "more than 1,000" circumcision operations without incident. [So much for "Make sure the doctor who does it is experienced"!]

The court heard that Adeleye and Goodluck's parents were from Nigeria, where the circumcision of newborns is the tradition for Christian families.

Adeleye, of Sarnia Court, Salford, was paid £100 to do the operation.

The jury was told that she carried out the procedure using a pair of scissors, forceps and olive oil and without anaesthetic.

She had claimed there had been "no problem" when she left the infant and that his parents had been pleased with the operation.

However, the court heard that when Goodluck's parents had changed his nappy several hours later, they had found a large amount of blood and phoned Adeleye, who had told them to re-dress the wound.

Goodluck's parents called an ambulance the following morning and he was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital, where he died a short time later.

A spokesman for NHS Oldham said had the family gone to the hospital and asked for a circumcision, "they would have been advised to go to an approved practitioner who would have charged £100, the same as Grace Adeleye".

Following the guilty verdict, Adeleye was bailed while pre-sentencing reports are prepared.

The Crown Prosecution Service's Jane Wragg said the case "was not about the rights or wrongs of circumcision [yet if he hadn't been circumcised, he would still be alive], but the grossly negligent way in which the procedure was undertaken".

"Goodluck Caubergs was a healthy little boy whose tragic death was wholly unnecessary," she said.

"Goodluck died because the standard of care taken by Grace Adeleye in carrying out the circumcision fell far below the standard that should be applied.

Earlier story

BERLIN: Bundestag legalises circumcision, 100 oppose

Reuters
December 12, 2012

Germany passes law to protect circumcision after outcry

by Madeline Chambers

Protestors in front of the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin REUTERS-Pawel Kopczynski

(Reuters) - German politicians passed a law on Wednesday to protect the right to circumcise infant boys in a show of support for Muslims and Jews angered by a local court ban on the practice in May.

The ban - imposed on the grounds that circumcision amounted to "bodily harm" - triggered an emotional debate over the treatment of Jews and other religious minorities, a sensitive subject in a country still haunted by its Nazi past.

The outcry prompted Germany's centre-right government and opposition parties to draw up legislation confirming the practice was legal - overruling the decision by a court in the western city of Cologne.

The new law passed by an overwhelming majority in Bundestag lower house said the operation could be carried out, as long as parents were informed about the risks.

[Hardly "overwhelming" - the 100 votes against were considerably more than expected.]


[By party: Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU most toed her line; only among the Communsts did most vote to protect children:]


Jewish groups welcomed the move.

"This vote and the strong commitment shown ... to protect this most integral practice of the Jewish religion is a strong message to our community for the continuation and flourishing of Jewish life in Germany," said Moshe Kantor, President of the European Jewish Congress.

Germany's Catholic Bishops Conference said it hoped the bill would help safeguard religious freedoms. No comment was immediately available from the country's Central Council of Muslims.

PAIN MINIMISED

The May ruling centered on the case of a Muslim boy who bled after the procedure [requiring surgery under general anaesthetic and 10 days in hospital] and the ban only applied to the area around Cologne.

But some doctors in other parts of Germany started refusing to carry out circumcisions, saying it was unclear whether they would face prosecution.

Under the new law, a doctor or trained expert must conduct the operation and children must endure as little pain as possible, which means an anesthetic should be used. The procedure cannot take place if there is any doubt about the child's health.

Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger said no other country in the world country had made the religious circumcision of boys an offence.

"In our modern and secular state, it is not the job of the state to interfere in children's' upbringing," she said. [Cutting what other body part off is "upbringing"?]

Child welfare group Deutsche Kinderhilfe disagreed, saying the government had "(pushed) through the legalization of the ritual of genital circumcision ... against the advice of child right campaigners and the medical profession." [And against German's Grundgesetz - Basic Law]

MANCHESTER: "Discredited" method used to circumcise baby who died

Mancunian Matters
December 7, 2012

Nurse accused of killing Oldham baby in botched circumcision used 'discredited' procedure, court hears

by Lucy Kenderdine

A nurse accused of killing a four-week-old Oldham baby in a botched circumcision used a ‘relatively dangerous’ and ‘discredited’ procedure, a court heard today.

Grace Adeleye, 67, of Sarnia Court, Salford, denies manslaughter by gross negligence where 27-day-old Goodluck Caubergs died following the operation at his home.

The jury in Manchester Crown Court heard evidence from expert circumcision consultant Nigel Zoltie on the Nigerian religious ‘clamp and cut’ procedure used by Adeleye in the circumcision.

He said: “Bleeding is such a significant risk that it must be explained to the parents, particularly for the method used on Goodluck.”

Mr Zoltie added that the traditional method carries risks greater than others currently used and the procedure has largely been discredited by medical circles.

But he did argue that it whilst the instruments used by the defendant, artery forceps and surgical scissors, were not the ideal tools, if ‘used with skill’ they could do the job effectively and safely.

The prosecution also argued that the high risks and complications that can arise as a result of the procedure were not properly explained to the parents.

This could mean that full consent for the circumcision was not given as the parents did not fully understand what it entailed and how it would be done, the court were told.

Adeleye also did not get written consent from the parents to carry out the procedure as it is not customary to do so for community and religious circumcisions, the jury heard.

However she defended herself by saying that she discussed the risks with the parents before the procedure through a series of phone calls with the father on the day of the circumcision.

She said: “I explained everything to him and he told me he understood.”

Adeleye added that the fact that they had asked her to perform the circumcision was enough consent for community circumcisions and written consent was never given.

The court also heard evidence surrounding the aftercare of baby Goodluck and what information the parents were given regarding his safety.

Neither parent received written information on what to look out for in terms of complications after the procedure.

Adeleye said: “I told them they should watch out for bleeding and infection.”

The trial continues next week.

Earlier story

MANCHESTER: Nurse circumcised baby who died "culturally"

Manchester Evening News
December 5, 2012

Salford nurse accused of Oldham baby's manslaughter after 'botched' circumcision defends method

A nurse accused of the manslaughter of a four-week-old baby after a home circumcision said today she had carried out "more than a thousand" such procedures without a single problem.

Grace Adeleye, 67, performed the procedure on Goodluck Caubergs without anaesthetic and using only a pair of scissors, forceps and olive oil, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Goodluck was born on March 22, 2010, in Rochdale Infirmary and died on April 17, after bleeding to death the day after the circumcision, aged 27 days old.

The defendant is originally from Nigeria, where she qualified as a nurse and midwife, as [are] the youngster's parents, where the circumcision of newborns is the tradition for Christian families, the jury heard.

Mrs Adeleye said after praying before the operation, as is her custom, she used the traditional, Nigerian "clamp and cut" method, which she had used hundreds of times, without any pain-killers for the child.

And she told the jury when she left the boy with his parents, Sylvia Attiko and Olajunti Fatunla, there [were] no problems but [she] warned them to monitor closely any bleeding from the wound.

...

But today Mrs Adeleye, a mother-of-six told the jury she herself performed circumcisions on her two grandsons and carried out more than a thousand such ops while practising in Nigeria.

She said it was custom to have a naming ceremony for the child on the eighth day after birth then she would travel from church to church performing the operation.

And since coming to the UK in 2004, working as a state registered nurse in Litchfield, she had performed a further 20 home circumcisions.

None had required hospital treatment or suffered excessive bleeding.

Mrs Adeleye said she performed the same circumcision technique on Goodluck like the others.

"It's the cultural one in Nigeria. It's clamp and cut," she said.

Peter Wright QC, defending asked her: "Is there anaesthetic administered to the child before the procedure?"

"We don't usually, no," she replied.

"The culture, why we don't need anaesthetic, that's why we do it early in life. We believe if it's done early the pain is not as well as in an older child."

The prosecution claim Adeleye also failed in her duty of care to the child because the boy's parents knew nothing about the procedure or medical matters.

But the witness said she had discussed the procedure and what needed to be done with firstly the father then the mother separately,

"Mr Fatunla asked me , he told me about the procedure he wanted to do," the defendant told the jury.

"He said he has inquired amongst the Nigerians. That he wanted to do the cultural one."

She added: "He said he's scared of blood. He said he doesn't want to see blood."

Mrs Adeleye said she did not want to use "big medical words" so spoke to the father in their own Yoruba dialect from Nigeria - and stressed the boy must be monitored for bleeding from the wound.

The defendant said she questioned the parents about the health of mother and baby, sterilised the instruments she used and cleaned the boy's groin with TCP before the op began.

She used artery forceps to clamp the excess skin for one minute then used surgical scissors to "trim" the foreskin which only took a "few seconds," before gauze, vaseline and bandages were applied.

The skin was given to the boy's father, because Nigerian custom has it, that if it is discarded carelessly the boy will grow into a "promiscuous" man, the jury were told.

Mrs Adeleye said she remained at the house for one hour to monitor any bleeding before leaving.

She told the jury there was "no problem" with the parents thanking her and about to cook a meal before she left.

She told the jury they would hardly have been "dining and wining" if there had been complications with their son's op.

Proceeding

Earlier Story

WASHINGTON: PEPFAR targets babies

PEPFAR
November 30, 2012

PEPFAR now explicitly targetting infants

In its "PEPFAR Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation" the meaning of the word "Voluntary" seems to have been forgotten.

Action Step: Increase the number of males who are circumcised for the prevention of HIV....
10. Build the capacity of partner governments to begin planning for and financing an integrated, long-term early infant male circumcision (EIMC) program as the adult V[oluntary ]M[edical ]M[ale ]C[ircumcision] program is being scaled-up. PEPFAR’s financial support is prioritized to the adult VMMC program. However, once the adult program has progressed sufficiently, PEPFAR funds may be used to support EIMC activities. (p 23)
[There is no evidence that infant circumcision has any effect on HIV transmission]

BERLIN: Paediatric Association condemns circumcision law

Gesetzentwurf der Bundesregierung
November 27, 2012

German Pediatric Society roundly condemns infant circumcision.

Dr.Wolfram Hartmann, President of the Professional Association of Child and Youth Doctors in Germany, spoke on November 26, 2012 to the Bundestag committee considering the Government's "Draft law on the scope of child's care regulations at a circumcision of the male child" and the draft law of MPs Marlene Rupprecht, Katja Dörner, Diana Golze, Caren Marks, Rolf Schwanitz, other MPs: "Draft law on the scope of the child's care and the rights of the male child at a circumcision "

The Association opposes the first, which sets conditions for the performance of child circumcision, but no limit on who may do it, and supports the second, which sets a minimum age of 14, with informed consent.

Dr Hartmann told the committee

This statement is coordinated with the German Academy for Child and Youth Medicine (DAKJ), the umbrella organization of all pediatric associations in Germany (German Society for Child and youth medicine DGKJ, Professional Association of the Child and Youth doctors, German Society for social pediatrics and youth medicine DGSPJ), to which other organizations are co-opted (see also . I also refer to the statement of the Germany Society for Child Surgery) on that subject.

From a medical point of view, there is no reason to remove the intact foreskin of under-aged boys not capable of giving consent. In pre-school age, it is also very rare to have a true medical indication to remove (circumcise) the foreskin. At this age, the foreskin (prepuce) is physiologically more or less strongly fastened to the glans. Attempts to pull back the immature and adhered foreskin often cause inflammations and painful fissures.

"The male foreskin is part of the dermal organ and fulfills an important role in protecting the very delicate glans. ...

The repeatedly-quoted statement of the AAP contradicts earlier statements by the same organization, without being able to refer to new scientific evidence. The AAP statement has meanwhile been considered scientifically untenable by almost all pediatric societies and associations worldwide.

... The American lawyers association for children's rights, Attorneys for the Rights of the Child also criticized the AAP statement in a letter to the Pediatrics magazine [Which was not published there, but was published here]. It [says the AAP policy] contains errors and inconsistencies and violates both the AAP's own statements regarding bioethics, and several civil and criminal law regulations in the USA.

The WHO recommendations for prophylactic circumcisions only refers to mature, sexually active men in countries with low hygienic standards and is not suitable to justify the prophylactic circumcision of under-aged boys not capable to give consent. ...

.... The government's current draft law on the scope of child's care regulations at a circumcision of the male child unwillingly opens the door for demands to legalize the circumcision of girls.

BERLIN: 50 Bundestag members against circumcision legalisation

NECN.com
November 12, 2012

German lawmakers want circumcision ban under 14

BERLIN (AP) — Left-wing lawmakers in Germany are threatening to oppose government efforts to keep male infant circumcision legal.

More than 50 lawmakers from three parties are proposing that parents should have to wait until their son is 14 so he can give informed consent for the procedure.

The proposal obtained by The Associated Press on Monday would radically amend a government bill that would give parents the power to decide.

The bill was prompted by a regional court ruling that circumcision could amount to criminal bodily harm. The government has enough votes to pass the bill and defeat amendments.

The June court ruling prompted outrage in Germany's Jewish and Muslim communities. Jews circumcise boys on the 8th day after birth and Muslims usually perform the procedure early in a boy's life.

Earlier story

TEXAS: 4yo's Circumcision horribly botched

And all entirely preventable...

Courthouse News Service
November 9, 2012

Circumcision Goes Horribly Wrong

EDINBURG, Texas (CN) - A doctor botched a circumcision of a 4-year-old boy so badly that the boy pleaded to "just cut it off and (he) can be a girl," the parents claim in court.

Rafael and Vanessa Deleon sued Dr. Jennifer J. Garza, of McAllen, in Hidalgo County Court. They claim they learned from specialists that Garza over-cauterized the penis to try to stop the bleeding, damaging their son's urethra and requiring reconstructive surgery to close the holes.

But after the 90-minute surgery, the Deleons claim Garza told them, "'the circumcision was successful.' She also told them that 'there was a little bleeding, but that she and her staff were able to stop it,'" according to the complaint.

Then a nurse appeared and told Garza that the boy "still had a lot of bleeding and that the bleeding did not appear to be stopping," the complaint states. Garza told that that "their son 'needed to go back into surgery in order to find out what was happening and to stop the bleeding,'" the Deleons say. They were then given a consent form, but "the consent papers were for a different patient," according to the complaint.

It continues: "After taking the plaintiff into the operating room for a second time, the defendant came out and told Ethan's parents that she had managed to stop the bleeding using cauterization around the penis area where she thought the bleeding was coming from. The defendant then had the plaintiff remain overnight at the hospital. During the course of that night, hospital staff had to change the plaintiff's gauze around his penis multiple times. Plaintiff's parents also noticed that the plaintiff oozed blood every time he urinated."

The next day, after seeing lab results, Garza told them that "'Ethan's penis was going to look beat up for the next couple of weeks, but that as the weeks go by it would look normal again,'" according to the complaint.

But that didn't happen, the family says: "The days following the surgery, the plaintiff's parents had to change the plaintiff's gauze repeatedly because he kept bleeding so much. During this time, the plaintiff's parents were shocked when they saw the plaintiff urinate from more than one hole in his penis. It appeared that Ethan had two streams of urine. After seeing this, the plaintiff's family decided to visit Doctor Segundo Lizardo, Ethan's pediatrician, the same doctor who referred them to Dr. Garza."

The only defendant in the complaint is Dr. Garza and her office.

The family consulted a third doctor, Catarina Posada, who "could not explain to the family why the plaintiff was urinating from two holes in his penis, but she however prescribed the plaintiff some medication," according to the complaint.

It continues: "In the coming days, the plaintiff screams and cries every time he has to urinate. The plaintiff is also in tremendous pain. The plaintiff refuses to drink anything because he does not want to urinate. The plaintiff also becomes very upset with his parents. He begins to blame them for his pain and predicament. The plaintiff goes so far as to say that he is a girl now because he has to urinate sitting down. The plaintiff also asks his parents 'to just cut it off, and he can be a girl.' The plaintiff's parents also have to change the plaintiff's sheets nightly because the sheets become stained with blood."

A week after the circumcision, the Deleons took their son, still bleeding and in pain, to the emergency room at Rio Grande Regional Hospital where Dr. Christopher Bristow told them "that the plaintiff's penis looked over cauterized."

That led to a visit with a pediatric urologist, and more lab tests.

Dr. Lizardo then prescribed him morphine so he could sleep, the family says.

"On or about April 3, 2011, at 2:30 a.m., the plaintiff went to urinate and his parents noticed that a stream of blood was running down his leg. The plaintiff's parents call 911. The ambulance takes the plaintiff to the Knapp Medical Center Emergency room. There Dr. Jorge Martinez sees the plaintiff and gets Dr. Lizardo to show up to the emergency room. According to the plaintiff's parents, when they questioned Dr. Lizardo on why this was happening to their son, Dr. Lizardo told them something had to have gone wrong during the circumcision surgery for this to be happening to Ethan," the complaint states.

Five days later, a pediatric urologist told them "that Ethan's urethra is damaged. He tells the plaintiff's family that the circumcision surgery created fistulas - holes in Ethan's penis. He tells them that the plaintiff will need reconstructive surgery to repair the fistulas," the complaint states.

"On or about September 23, 2011, the plaintiff underwent reconstructive surgery to close the fistulas (holes) on his penis. The doctor tells the plaintiff's family that he closed the holes; however sadly, he indicated that the plaintiff may need more surgeries in the future," the complaint says. (Parentheses in complaint.)

The family seeks punitive damages for medical negligence, deceptive trade, breach of warranty and misrepresentation.

They are represented by Pamela S. Alexander and Efrain Molina Jr. of Edinburg.

WARSAW: Hilton changes mind, allows 'rare" bris

Arutz Sheva
November 2, 2012

Warsaw Hilton to Allow Circumcision Ceremony

The Hilton hotel in Warsaw, Poland, has retracted its refusal to allow a Jewish family to hold a circumcision ceremony and party in the hotel this coming Sunday.

According to a Kol Yisrael radio report on Thursday, the hotel had initially informed the family of the Chabad emissary to Poland that it will not allow the ceremony because a circumcision does not seem hygienic and does not meet the standards of the hotel.

Chabad members were angered by the refusal because such a celebration is rare among the local Jewish community. Hotel management eventually changed its mind and announced that it would allow the ceremony.

NEW ORLEANS: Men do complain - Intact America press conference

Bonobo3D
October 19, 2012

Press conference by Intact America outside the American Academy of Pediatrics convention, New Orleans

Powerful testimonies from Dan Bollinger, Jonathon Conte, Christopher Keyhoe and Anthony Losquadro

Earlier story

ZIMBABWE: Men not buying circumcision...

The Herald (Zimbabwe)
October 24, 2012

Zimbabwe: Circumcision - Doctors Up in Arms

By Paidamoyo Chipunza Government has failed to achieve set targets for male circumcision because a few selected individuals are carrying out the procedure which any doctor should have been allowed to do, provincial medical directors have said. The country's provincial medical directors revealed this at an HIV and Aids meeting held by the National Aids Council in Kwekwe last week.

The provincial medical directors from across the country urged Government to incorporate male circumcision in the general health system to allow for easy access.

According to the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, 80 000 men had been circumcised as of September against a target of 1,2 million for the next five years.

[There is no evidence that circumcising men in Zimbabwe has any effect against HIV.]


Click to enlarge
This is the third year into the five-year target. The senior doctors also urged Government to expedite initiation of neo-natal circumcisions. [The men aren't buying it, so they come after the babies.]

"The problem is that male circumcision came as a programme where a few selected people were trained and put in charge. And yet this is a simple procedure which any medical doctor can perform," said the acting PMD for Matabeleland North, Dr Nyasha Masuka.

"Teams are coming from Harare or Bulawayo into our provinces, pitch their tents under a tree, circumcise a few men, and get paid hefty allowances and then leave."

Dr Masuka said the approach frustrated other doctors and patients.

"Some people hear of the programme when teams are long gone and the local doctor has to explain to them that the teams have left," he said.

...

Dr Zizhou said ... "If an old man from the village can perform this procedure [sometimes killing the patient] , then any doctor should be able to do that," ...

Acting PMD for Mashonaland West Dr Solomon Mukungunurwa said circumcision services should be universally accessible.

"If we are to realise full benefits of this programme, circumcision should start as soon as a child is born."

...