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Home › Articles › Newborn and Infant Months › Is Circumcision Necessary?

Is Circumcision Necessary?

Understanding Both Sides of the Debate

By Jacqueline Bodnar

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More boys are born each year in the United States than girls. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number is about 90,000 more on average. With each birth of a boy comes the decision of whether or not to circumcise. This can be a highly controversial topic, even within the same household. Before making any decision it's important to understand both sides of the issue.

Yes!
Cynthia Wheeler of Las Vegas, Nev., decided to have her son circumcised a week after giving birth. Although given the option, she and her husband chose to not watch the procedure and stayed in the waiting room until it was completed. She had several reasons for wanting the procedure done.

"Being a teacher, I had seen several students who ended up having to have it done later anyway," Wheeler says. "And those poor children were hobbling around for days in pain."

Circumcision Defined
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), circumcision is a surgical procedure in which the skin covering the end of the penis is removed. This procedure is usually performed by a doctor within the first few days of life. Many people who opt to get it done have questions regarding it and are also interested in benefits that may exist.

"The benefits are the reduction of male UTI [urinary tract infection] from one in 100 in the uncircumcised to one in 1,000 in the circumcised male," says Dr. David Olson, a pediatrician in Traverse City, Mich. "This is an unusual event, even in the uncircumcised male, so whether this is a valid enough reason is up to the parents."


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