Evaluation of Non-Therapeutic Circumcision by Academic Medical Professionals

In this study, our aim was to compare the current consensus circumcision approach with a survey given to academic medical professionals on circumcision to of male children in a country like Turkey with increased Muslim population. In Cologne district, Germany, a regional appellate court prohibited non-therapeutic circumcision on June 26, 2012. The court defined non-therapeutic circumcision as a violation of a child’s bodily integrity and a detriment to the child’s well-being. Moreover, the district court reported that circumcision done without stringent consent and is deemed a similar act to female genital mutilation. Non-therapeutic circumcision that is perfomed as a religiously, morally, or culturally motivated rite is not considered a bodily assault or psychologically traumatic act against a child. In addition, it is accepted as medically beneficial and is recommended by a high proportion of medical professionals in a survey that we conducted in Inonu University Medical Faculty in Turkey. According to this questionnaire, the percentage of medical professionals who believed that male circumcision is medically detrimental and medically safe was 2.1% (n:1) and 87.2% (n:41) respectively. Allowing non-therapeutic circumcision would have its benefits, including parental consent for families with the intent to decide on circumcision for religious, public, and moral motives. Legal prohibition of circumcision may prompt operations under inappropriate conditions, which might be destructive for children.