Loyal VM readers know we’ve been following the debate over circumcision occasioned by the barbarous bans put in place in Cologne and in Vorarlberg Province. VM alum Yair Rosenberg, writing for Tablet, has seen a leaked copy of the American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement on circumcision and notes that it changes the organization’s previous recommendation from “neutral” to “pro”. Why does this matter? Rosenberg:
The importance of this cannot be overstated. The AAP is a driving force behind health policy in America, and the experts involved in its new statement are already going on record in major media outlets to advocate that circumcision be covered on public health plans like Medicaid. The statement solidifies the scientific consensus behind the advisability of infant male circumcision (noting that complications are more likely to arise when the procedure is performed later in life) and places the traditional practice squarely within the realm of sound medical science.
While the kinds of rulings and laws being promulgated in Germany and Austria stood little chance of ever making it to the U.S., this kind of statement makes it even less likely and is thus welcome.
Hopefully anti-circumcision zealots will take a deep breath and rethink their fevered stance on the issue. Beyond the fact that their bans impinge on the rights of Jews and Muslims to practice their religion as they see fit, they ought to consider that there is legitimate science pointing to the practice being beneficial to infant male health.
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